Socratic – Lunch For The Sky

Socratic – Lunch For The Sky / 2005 Drive-Thru / 14 Tracks / http://www.socraticmusic.com / http://www.drivethrurecords.com / Reviewed 15 October 2005

After the piano solo, the lighter-rock that starts out “Alexandria as Our Lens” is welcome. The heavily-vocal nature of the track, coupled with the continued piano lines on the track make this a more rock-based version of The Rocket Summer. The slightly vocal style of the vocals on “Alexandria” is comparable to Mark Schultz and later Yellowcard. What results is not the traditional “emo” that is so present on radio and music video, but rather some of the solid, road-trip indie rock that really was brought forth by Rusty and Jawbreaker.

The melodramatic exhortations present on “I Don’t Wear A Coat” is a perfect contrast to the looking-back nature of the arrangements during the track (which feel as emotionally invested as early Oasis or “Grave Dancer’s Union”-era Soul Asylum. The vocals are not dated in any sense; just as they recall the early nineties acts mentioned, they also work well alongside both Simple Plan and the lighter efforts of Sum 41. The incorporation of a more urgent piano line during “The Dense Indents” starts out almost in “Flashdance”-mode; the more back and forth between this an a more earthy, emotive sound really means that Socratic will hit a larger section of music fans. The fuzz present during the absolute beginning of “She’s The Type of Girl” really shows Socratic’s punk roots; Justin Sane mixes with Rancid before the band goes forth into the melodramatic and brooding sound that is perfected during this disc. There is no dearth of radio-friendly hits on “Lunch For The Sky”, and Vinny’s piano lines seem to be the only thing that really sticks out as an oddity on this release.

The lines played are derived from classical influenced, and this “retro” (to the nth degree)) gives Socratic a sound that just cannot be pinned down to a specific genre or era. The fact that Socratic can move successfully from a more guitar-derived type of rock to something much more piano-controlled (the Beatles-sounding “Too Late Too Soon”) shows a maturity to the band that is a rare thing to find considering major labels seem to fall over themselves to sign any random grouping of four college-age males from New Jersey. What results is not just a few singles and a large mass of chaff, but Socratic’s goal with “Lunch For The Sky” is not to just plaster themselves on mTV but to take their listeners on a journey that progresses a chapter for every track.

Top Tracks: The Dense Indents, She’s The Type of Girl

Rating: 6.3/10

[JMcQ]