Artist: Rosaline
Album: A Constant North
Label: Eulogy Recordings
Website: myspace.com/rosaline

(I am reviewing this album as requested by a post in our comments. If you have an album you want us to review, shoot us an email to hitthepit@websiteultra.com and let us know!)

Rosaline is what I would call a punkcore band.  They mix keyboards and jazzy mellow guitar with screaming, grinding riffs and pounding drums. Think of them like Angels And Airwaves meets Killswitch Engage meets Yanni. That’s right, I said Yanni! Combine all this with audio effects, and you get a glimpse of what Rosaline is about. Incidentally, “Rosaline” is an unseen character from Romeo & Juliet, so their name choice may give you a glimpse into how different they are.

First off, the album is a bit short. Nine songs lasting a total of just over 37 minutes. Faithful readers know that I am not a big fan of putting out short cds. Spend another week or two, develop a couple more songs and then finish the album. Don’t rip us off by selling us a half an album at full price. That being said, I will go lenient of Rosaline since they are a new band and just getting momentum going.

Overall their sound is original and works. The angst ridden vocals and melodic bridges are worked to perfection, intertwining to create a fantastically different sound. Their melodies are every bit as satisfying as Angels & Airwaves, and their hardcore roots are just as visceral as bands like Atreyu and Killswitch.

Their flaws come from needles repititions and lengthy artsy interludes. “Pin The Sea To The Wall” has a 42 second “ethereal” guitar riff which is uninspired and pretentious sounding. I get that this is part of their sound, but that is far too long to leave a listener hanging. The riff shows no particular talent or imagination, and a 5 to 10 second bit would have worked far better.

Songs like “The White City” work far better for me. While it still has a repetitive artsy bit(this time at the end), it is far more talent driven and less life draining. I would still have liked it shortened, but I didn’t hate it as much as I did with “Pin The Sea To The Wall”.  The song starts with a kitchy guitar plucking riff and light, airy vocals which in a flash turn into thrashing guitar and guttural vocal belching. This is where their true artistry shines brightest, as the same guitar plucking riff meshes just as beautifully with the harder bits. I absolutely love the way they are able to mesh these two dichotomies.

I get the feeling the band may look on their instrumental tangents as akin to Grateful Dead’s. For me, it comes across as obnoxious and jarring. I love everything else about this band, and if they could lighten up on those repetitive eternities, they might even be one of my favorite new bands. The rest of their sound has everything they need to be successful: originality, passion, talent, emotion and grit. They are both paradoxical and brilliant, and have gotten my attention.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Suggested Tracks: “White City”, “Brother, We’ll Save You Now”,  “A Silver Meridian”

Track Listing:

1. The New Utah

2. Culture Wars

3. Brother, We’ll Save You Now

4. Pin The Sea To The Wall

5. In True Pisces Fashion

6. The White City

7. Polaris

8. A Silver Meridian

9. Children Of Latitude

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