Adair - The Destruction of Everything is the Beginning of Something New / 2006 Warcon / 13 Tracks / http://www.adairmusic.com / http://www.warconent.com / Reviewed 09 March 2006
The style of music that hits listeners at the beginning of “The Destruction of Everything is the Beginning of Something New” is very familiar; the vocals really tap the awesome energy of acts like Yellowcard while the music present smacks of both The Ataris and AFI. This easily-digestible sound really takes another form during “Barricade The Doors”, where the vocals move from simply being beautiful to something that will bounce around a listener’s head for a while after the disc closes up shop. The production values of “The Destruction of Everything” has to be the strong suit worn by Adair; every minor nuance of the disc, whether it be the chirping guitars of “The Art of Staying Alive” or the style of emocore that becomes evident on a number of tracks during the disc.
Some of the tracks seem to struggle to come forth with a cohesive sound that will speak to all of Adair’s listeners; the patchwork sound of “I Buried My Heart in Cosmo Park” really does not become salient to listeners until the drums link disparate sections of the track together. The necktie that Adair wears during “The Destruction of Everything” (the very familiar style of music that dominates the disc) becomes a noose starting with “Separate Your Jaw”. The style stifles innovation, even as Adair can chalk up a success in the aforementioned “Separate Your Jaw”.
Even if the band is not bringing much new to emo music, there is no lack of catchy and emotionally-driven songs for fans to choose from on this disc. Especially important is the “gotta be a hit” sound of “Folding and Unfolding”, a track in which Rob shows eir mastery of pulling on listener’s heartstrings. The guitar work only bolsters this effect, and begins Adair on a run of songs that will make listeners wonder why they weren’t placed at the beginning of the disc. “The Prison Island” is another track that continues this thread, with the instrumentation of the track really matching the quality of Rob’s vocals to the degree that individuals will be swept up by the power exerted by the band. If individuals are fans of Adair already or want to hear another interpretation of “emo” music, “The Destruction of Everything is the Beginning of Something New” may just be a good purchase. The band still has a few things they need to do to make their next album stronger, but this is a good start for the band.
Top Tracks: Separate Your Jaw, Folding and Unfolding
Rating: 5.4/10
[JMcQ]