Musically the album's perfectly acceptable too. Producer Teddy Kumpel does a good job, and the whole thing sounds slick and polished. Geoff Sobel does a good job on guitar and his riffs are always pleasing. That nasty bio compares him to Jimmy Page, which is stretching things a bit, so we've got that paradox again: he's talented, and performs well on the album, but your expectations have been set at such a high level that you can't help - on the first few listens - to feel a bit let down.
The album's tracks fall into two camps, for the most part. There are the satisfying, enjoyably crunchy rock offerings, and slightly lacklustre ballads. When Loudlife click - coincidentally, it's at these times that they most sound like Soundgarden - they're a really good listen. Tracks like the opener "Let Go Of The Wheel", "Tear In The Curtain" - on which Ferro could be Chris Cornell's long lost sister, and "Step Away" all steam along nicely; Ferro's in the zone, Sobel's riffs are juicy and delicious, and the lyrics don't really matter enough to disturb the balance.
But it's on the ballads, the slower tempo numbers, that the lyrics start to really hurt the album. "Icarus" offers us lines like "he's crazy as he is sane" and its chorus contains "I guess I'm just too afraid to die, oh Icarus can you teach me how to fly?". It's a trite, unsatisfying track that doesn't sit comfortably with its grungier siblings. "Far Below The Surface" is another of my least favourite tracks, the chorus - "break me, mend me, save me, spend me" - is one example of why it just doesn't do it for me.
Loudlife are at their best when indulging in their funky Soundgarden inspired rock. They're not Led Zep, not Alice in Chains, and not Soundgarden. Given another couple of albums, they might get close. In fairness, I can't stand Soundgarden's early "Louder Than Love" album, so Ferro and co. are already off to a better start. I look forward to seeing what might happen for the second album; hopefully with just a little more discipline, but the same funk and enthusiasm.
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