A key difference between the Beatles and the multitude of bands they spawned is that the Beatles composed songs that sounded so effortlessly fluid and natural. Many of the post-Beatles bands, such as Badfinger, certainly had the musical chops, the hooks, and the dynamics down, but their material, while usually good, was also just a little too clinical sounding. Such is the case with If We Can't Escape My Pretty by IV Thieves, a band out of Austin, TX. Yes, the disc does feature some excellently crafted pop-rock songs; the moody and melodic "The Sound And The Fury," for example, sounds pretty with spot on harmony vocals and a catchy melody, but this song also sounds a little bit forced, like it was put together in a music lab. "Chase Me Off/Out" suffers from the same problem, especially considering that the tension/release structure of the song is all build up, with little payoff. With an E Street Band wall of sound chiming throughout the verse, the chorus begs for some explosive release; instead, the song limps off into a labored chorus that seems tacked on from another song. The album has many strong moments, and some genuinely enjoyable hooks, but these guys really need to come up with simpler arrangements to give us more bang for our buck.
~Neal Alpert
Release date: October 17, 2006
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