Belasco
61
Belasco's fifth album 61 opens with a frantic wall of guitar noise that fits in with the otherworldly artwork. Finest Things and Lawman deliver the heart-tugging acoustic ballads while The Earth and Swallow are dark, impassioned anthems. Butterflies provides a change of pace with its intricate arrangement while an eerie harmonic encapsulates the dark tones of What if God, which like most of their songs, lead to a climax of edgy guitar riffs and emotive bombast. While Belasco are hardly boundary pushers, the energy that surges beneath their superb melodies provides a dynamic anthem quality. Two of the band's most successful singles, the edgy rocker Chloroform and the elative U2-esque Something Between Us, are bonus tracks. There's a great intensity displayed in 61 that is ethereal at its best but there's still an overriding familiarity in their guitar sounds and predictable climaxes. Belasco's 61 establishes the band's strengths with its immense guitar hooks and rousing anthems but falls short of breaking any new ground. Nevertheless, their fifth album remains a mighty effort. Tracklisting: 1. Intro 2. The Earth 3. Swallow 4. On A Wire 5. In The End 6. Ask Me 7. Butterflies 8. What If God 9. Lawman 10. Joseph Conin 11. Finest Things