Safety in Numbers – In The Key Of D

Safety in Numbers – In The Key Of D / 2004 Triple Crown / 10 Tracks / http://www.triplecrownrecords.com / Reviewed 30 September 2004

Starting out “In The Key of D” with forceful guitars and Claudio-like guitars, Safety in Number provide three clear paths for listeners: they can either listen to the vocals, the guitars, or the bass which are all viciously forcing their way into the heads of listeners during “You’ll Find A Way”. Moving into a much more oft-heard style of guitar riffs and vocal delivery in “Lusic”, Safety in Numbers deviate from themselves, with Brona taking the high road and Chris’ guitars taking a much more gritty tone for the majority of the track. The band syncs up half-way through the song when Brona assumes a Jamey Josta-like vocal style. Moving back into the saddle for “Judas”, a very odd track in terms of staggered arrangement, Safety in Numbers jerks its fans around like a proverbial rag doll. The emotive guitar and slight lag by it after Brona launches into the chorus provides an different sound that is a monument of Safety in Numbers’ experimentative nature.

The disorientation that worked so well during “Judas” falls off a bit during the follow-up track, “Slowly”, even if the latter has the same irresistible harmony that worked to perfection in the former. I think the issue that comes up with “Slowly” are the slightly hackneyed guitars present during the track, lines that have been heard in anything from Queens of the Stone Age to even Tool. For something so innovative in terms of vocal ornamentation, it seems almost a disservice to the legion of fans to cop out in that way. Reaching back up to the top of the mountain for the elegantly brutal “Cause and Effect”, Safety in Numbers show that they are most definitely not fans of the one-single LP.

The guitar’s new-rock feel works without fault throughout most of the disc, but during certain moments the distance between the guitar and the rest of the act almost is too much to bear. “Do The Thing That You Do” is luckily not one of those tracks, as the screeching nature of the guitars provides a middle-ground between the intertwined vocals of Brona and Chris. Triple Crown really knows how to pick their acts, and Safety in Numbers is the 2004 version of Brand New, a band captured so well on CD that entire genres of music are created out of their efforts. Pick up “In The Key Of D” is you want to hear something original, instead of the same old pap.

Top Tracks: Judas, Cause and Effect

Rating: 8.2/10