THE BAND: TJ Star – vocals, guitar & synthesizer
Karo – bass & backing vocals
Izzy Slater – guitars, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
Hitman – drums
TRACK FRAGMENTS:
1.) “Bad Boys (For Loving You)” – There is a pick slide that opens the rhythm guitar riff of this intro. The rhythm guitar riff of the intro section had a very early eighties heavy metal sound to it. The drum line underneath the rhythm guitar consisted of a bass drum rhythm along with a few cymbal crashes. There is a small drum fill connecting the intro with the musical verse. The guys used the same rhythm for the musical verse as the intro. There is a little cool hi-hat pattern leading into the first lead vocal line. There is a musical change at the first lyric line of the musical verse. Underneath the lyric lines of the pre-chorus there are small backing vocal harmonies. The band kept the chorus fairly basic. There is a minor lead guitar solo connecting the first chorus with the second verse. After the second chorus there is a small drum fill that connects the chorus to the lead guitar solo. There is a musical breakdown in between the two lead solo sections. The lead guitar solo runs underneath the third chorus. The outro consisted of a short vocal line.
2.) “Bustin’ Loose” –This intro opens with a small drum sample. The drum sample leads into a snare fill that leads into the main into. The rhythm guitar of the intro section had a very simple feel to it. There is a small drum fill connecting the musical intro with the musical verse. There is a rhythm guitar change for the musical verse. The musical verse also consisted of a sixteenth-note hi-hat pattern. There is a small musical rest connecting the verse with the pr-chorus. There were several different aspects of the musical chorus that gave it an abstract feel. The best way to sum it up into a ball would be Faith No More. There is a small breakdown section that leads into a very abstract lead guitar solo. There are a lot of very cool little bass runs between the lead guitar solo and the next chorus.
3.) “Your Love Is Killing Me” – The intro of this track opens with a seventies classic rock sound & feel. About halfway through the intro a second rhythm guitar kicks in giving the intro a lot of depth. For the musical verse the rhythm guitars split one changes it rhythm and the second plays a minor lead guitar solo. Both guitars switch back to playing the same rhythm for the pre-chorus. The second verse had a breakdown feel to it. The lead guitar solo has a very laid back feel to it. I have to say just about the only highlight on this track was the bass line right after the solo
4.) “Keep It Real” – There is a little funk rhythm guitar over the top of this intro section. There is a minor lead guitar lick connecting the intro with the musical verse. There also is a rhythm change. The rhythm change consisted of a hi-hat opening and closing pattern and in an odd way gives the song a disco feel. If this doesn’t make it sound disco the way they arranged the verse rally will. I really really was not expecting this….What more can I say but Kiss’s – ‘Dynasty’!
5.) “Out Of Control” – The intro to this track has a very early heavy metal feel to it. The musical verse was written in a very simple heavy metal style. There is a small lead guitar lick connecting the lyric lines of the verse. The highlight instrument of the second verse was the bass. This was one of the strangest songs I believe I’ve ever heard.
6.) “Love You Like An Animal” –The intro to this track reminded me of early Every Mothers Nightmare. There is a rhythm guitar change for the musical verse. Right out of the clear blue the song goes into a seventies funk arrangement for the pre-chorus. I mean no respect; in fact, I mean this as a compliment this is a strange, strange song!!!!
7.) “The Edge (Is Where The Action Is)” – All in all I think every band big or small wrote songs of this nature when they started writing their own music. Now that’s not to say this band should have not recorded this song. I just don’t know what they can do with it.
8.) “Feel So Alive” – This intro opens with a small drum fill. There is a small synthesizer effect underneath the rhythm guitar of the intro section. There is a small tom-tom fill connecting the intro with the musical verse. The musical verse consisted of a musical change. This musical change underneath the lyrics of the musical verse consisted of one of the guitarists mainly chording it the guitar rhythm. This allows the drum and bass line to bleed through a lot better than it normally would. This type of arrangement also allows the main focus of the song to be placed squarely on TJ’s vocals. So from one musician to a lead singer, if this song is in the band’s set list TJ just about better guarantee his vocals are dead on every night! The backing vocals of the pre-chorus are very tight. Though I am listening to this through headphones it sounds like you can really hear Karo’s vocals on the choruses. There is a minor lead guitar solo connecting the first chorus with the second pre-verse. The effects used made the solo very Steve Vai sound! The major lead guitar solo connects the second chorus with the third verse. Personally I kind of looked the minor solo better. The major guitar solo ran underneath the chorus of the outro.
9.) “My X-Tasy” –This track opens with a twelve-note hi-hat and bass drum pattern. The opening rhythm guitar riff had a very eighties hard rock sound to it. This is just intensified when the lead guitar lick kicks-in. Both guitarists play the same rhythm riffs at this point. There is a small snare drum fill connecting the musical intro to the musical verse. It is also at this point Hitman breaks the arrangement by playing a sixteenth-note hi-hat pattern. As a former drummer, that has taught people how to read drum music, I am not going to break Hitman’s hi-hat pattern down all I will say is amazing!!!! There is a vocal echo at the end of each lyric line of the verse. There are even a few Karo vocal overdubs. Not sure however I believe there is an acoustic guitar arrangement mixed into the guitar arrangements. There are two choruses here; if I’m not mistaken I am almost sure I hear a lead guitar lick connecting the two. However there were so many guitar tracks everything was getting smashed together. There are little lead licks in between the lyric lines of the second verse. After the third chorus there is a small acoustic guitar section.
10.) “This Time” – This track opened with a synthesizer and bass drum pattern. There is a very cool bass line that leads into a standard drum rhythm and rhythm guitar arrangement. The drum & bass line are the main instrumentation of the verse. The lyric line arrangement is two lines of lead vocal/one line of backing vocal. This along with the music gives the song a very early Nine Inch Nails feel. The lead vocal is more or less spoken. The chorus was heavily influenced by Faith No More. In the way the guys arranged this track lets every band member come to the forefront.
11.) “We Are Live” – The synth that opens this track has a ELP feel to it. Right before the rhythm guitar kicks-in the synth jumps between speakers. “Damn, I’m glad I quit doing LSD or I would be freaking out about now!” Somehow the guys bridged the gap between progressive sixties rock to sixteenth-note heavy metal to a disco style verse. “Let’s See the people at Studio 54 dance to this!!” Then for the pre-chorus the band switches to a modern rock band like The Undead sound. I’m literally confused!!!! I wish I was taking LSD now…LMAO
12.) “Ready 4 U” –This is one of those songs that has so many genres of music within it that it does not know what it is!