Lostprophets – Start Something
Welsh’s nu metal heroes are back with the first new material in over 3 years. Their debut “Fake Sound of Progress” threw them into the spotlight rather quickly. But with the opening riffs you know that these guys are a little more than nu metal’s boy band.
The opening riff of “We Still Kill The Old Way” sucks you right in. The guitars are thick and juicy and are very catchy. It’s a great way to kick things off; they set the tone early. “To Hell We Ride” is a much more upbeat and angrier song. There are plenty of catchy hooks that really mix things up nicely. “Last Train Home” is the big single and one of the more emotional songs they have ever record. It’s simply an awesome pop song that should be on every radio station. “Burn, Burn” is the silly, fun, sell-plenty-of- records track. The track has the arm-raising hook that is easy to sing along to but at the same time doesn’t make sense “cause it’s no good burn burn the station.” “I Don’t Know” is next and all I can smell is American radio hit. The quiet to loud breakdown that is all over radio is here. With the DJ scratching, they have the formula down. “Goodbye Tonight,” another sad song? What happened to the angry Welshman? There is nothing wrong with widening your appeal. But there is nothing special here. “Start Something” is a fast, angry rocker with some intense chords and an impressive howl from Ian (the singer). “Sway” is another one of the quieter songs on the album. It has some interesting moments in there, some different sounds and beats that you wouldn’t expect to hear. It’s nice to see them trying out some new ideas and paths.
Start Something is an interesting album. The boys have tried out some new sounds and some new instrumentation. There are some really great pop tunes that stick out and a few questionable filler songs. But otherwise, it’s a good solid second album and I think the boys couldn’t have said it better themselves about their sound when they said “We are the cool kids making pop music.”
By John Siwicki
