Tripping Linda – An Empty Bed For A Broken Heart

Tripping Linda – An Empty Bed For A Broken Heart / 2004 Self-Released / 4 Tracks / http://www.trippinglinda.com / Reviewed 10 November 2004

Tripping Linda was the band that really amazed me at the first show I held, and their first EP still is played constantly on my radio show. Through their period of existence, no one can say that Tripping Linda was a static band, and from their pop-punk roots comes the much more emo “Bed”. Even if the mastering is a little rough, Tripping Linda has the talent necessary to transfer their incredible live energy onto disc. “Something Worth Taking” has Jeff’s vocals hidden underneath the bulk of the instrumentation, and is held back only by the distortion and fuzz of the limits. In building up breakdowns, they may be one of the most talented Lancaster bands, and the same can be said for the atmosphere created on each and every track. During the aforementioned “Something Worth Taking”, Zach’s synthesizer drags the eighties in a new light – Phil Collins intersects with Boys Night Out to make something new and fresh.

“Whats Fair is Fair” is the first track on “Bed” that had its first life on the Lancaster Vs. Greencastle compilation, and the band has made tremendous progress, both in production value and the cohesion of the track since then. The breakdowns on “Fair” seem a little bare, while they are more cohesive than in the past, they still are lacking. “What’s Fair Is Fair” has a detached nature about it and is on the anemic side – the energy which they play this track live is gone, replaced with a restraint that provides for a better musicianship. While I am not sure if that is an adequate tradeoff, “Choosing Sides” is a more energetic track, again catching the spectacle of the band in a proper way. “Choosing Sides” is more distorted but has a perfect mix of hard and light, emo and rock – Drew’s bass comes to life to provide a third voice to the band during the track.

Finishing off the disc with “Wrapping Paper”, Tripping Linda have increased the intricacy of their arrangements, but have moved a step back in terms of recording. The tracks they have released – “In The Eyes of Othello” and a third version of “Wrapping Paper” show the fusing of the best aspects of both the EPs – using even better mixing and mastering than the first EP, Tripping Linda have grown immensely in the arranging department in the short period between the second EP and the newly-released tracks. The future is bright for Tripping Linda – check them out before they hit it big.

Top Track: Wrapping Paper

Rating: 7.2/10