The Slow Signal Fade - Steady

Genre rock Publisher In Music We Trust External Links Official The Slow Signal Fade Website Official In Music We Trust Website

The Slow Signal Fade's Steady is very disappointing. Just when you think a song is really going to take off, the growth and development stop dead in their tracks. There is a feeling that there isn't much heart behind the music. The Slow Signal Fade show beginnings of a unique sound, but that is not enough to save this album. It has a darker quality that puts it apart from more mainstream fare. Even with that the band doesn't have the confidence to use that to their advantage. Their vocalist, Marguerite Olivelle, has the potential to really stand out, but doesn't quite cut the mustard. It is like she is afraid to show the world what she can really do. Olivelle has a raspy quality to her voice, almost an Jagged Little Pill-era Alanis Morrisette sound going for her. Still she doesn't demonstrate much of a range. Angst is a great emotion to show through your voice, however, if it is the only emotion you show, please do it well.

This band gives the vibe of a small town garage band afraid to make it on their own. Musically, this album falls short on every single track. The guitars and drums are pretty basic and the bass is barely even there. Artistically, the band swings from being too vocal heavy to being too lead guitar heavy. Also the vocals go from clean to over-produced as if her voice was trapped on an effects roller coaster.

Each song on the album sounds like a carbon copy of the last one. The opening track "Departmental" lacks variety and innovation. It starts off in the middle of the road and doesn't deviate from it's course at all. The sound and the energy just level out. The second track delivers more of the same, except now we have the joy of misused guitar distortion. The third track "TBA" seemed a little more energized. The melody actually seemed to be more upbeat. That optimism soon fades away. The lead guitar line you once liked becomes mundane and overdone. As the album drags along, it doesn't get any better, it just stagnates.

While The Slow Signal Fade may have a few things that show potential, the album lacks dimension and an underlying emotion. The result: a mediocre, re-hashed, pseudo goth, borefest.