Surrogate (from Wiktionary -- http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/surrogate)
Noun:
1. A substitute (usually of a person, position or role).
Adjective:
1. (normally a modifier of the noun) Of, concerning, relating to or acting as a substitute.
Band names can be very fickle entities. They help determine the band’s sound, their personality, and what genre the band is supposed to be part of. It also must be memorable enough where people can instantly be able to talk about the band whenever they hear the name. Naming the band is an unholy alliance between PR, marketing, and art, often producing horrendous results. For every memorable band name out there, there’s one that brings about waves of revulsion or consternation; for every Led Zeppelin, there’s The Darkness.
Thus, it’s hard to imagine what multi-instrumentalist Chris Keene & drummer/percussionist Jordan Mallory were thinking when they chose call themselves Surrogate. Most bands want to stand out as original acts, unhindered by comparisons to other bands, and able to stand on their own creativity, so it’s strange that they chose to christen their musical creation with a word that’s a synonym for “substitute.” And it’s not that Chris & Jordan can’t write a good song - “15” and “Easy” are by far the best tracks here, filled with great pop hooks and very catchy lyrics - but most of these songs on Love Is For The Rich sound like they could be found on the albums of a host of other artists. The record, as a whole, has this vaguely just-above-average feel to it where nothing really reaches out and grabs the listener, and, considering that there is some potential here, the lack of follow-through is rather disappointing. While a band might want their name to describe their sound, when Surrogate sounds like a surrogate, that’s never a good thing.
--Adam P. Newton
