Heavens - Patent Pending

Genre punk rock Publisher Epitaph Records External Links Official Heavens Website Official Epitaph Records Website

Pulling off a successful side project is difficult in a variety of ways. Sometimes egos clash or an artist's main project takes over and the side project is dropped. One would hope that neither of these things happens with Matt Skiba (Alkaline Trio) and Josiah Steinbrick (F-Minus) because their current project is delivering some very impressive music.

What initially began with Steinbrick playing a few tracks he'd recorded in his spare time for Skiba has become Heavens. Although the music is still dark in nature, Skiba and Steinbrick have put together an album with great appeal and a significantly different sound from either of their respective bands. Patent Pending is a morbid, eclectic and extremely well written record with songs that are difficult to forget.

Heavens' sound is unique and isn't comparable to much other music out there right now. However, Skiba knows when to channel an expert, which is exactly what he does on the opening track, "Gardens." Pulling in the somewhat monotone style which made Joy Division's Ian Curtis famous, Skiba's presentation only adds to the song's gleeful creepiness.

One of the best tracks on the album is the title track a relatively simple song at its core with verses comprising of little more than Skiba and a dominant drumbeat that actually overshadows most of the guitar work. The vocals have been filtered and Skiba's voice sounds as if it is coming from a poor telephone connection, which may initially seem bizarre but melds perfectly with the combination of guitars, keyboards and drums. As is to be somewhat expected, the lyrics verge on the creepy with lines such as "Shining clean, this guillotine / new and improved, patent pending" but if listeners expect anything else from Skiba, they're looking for the wrong things.

Skiba and Steinbrick's versatility with songwriting is most apparent on "Dead End Girl." The track is reminiscent of something that might have been played at a 60s high school dance with its rocking tempo and softer sound. This is the closest Patent Pending comes to a ballad and, luckily, it is devoid of the complete cheesiness that often goes hand-in-hand with such songs. Lyrics such as, "and she'd love to leave for someplace nice and cold / and she'd love to live far away from me or anyone else she's ever known" are significantly responsible for keeping the song from becoming too saccharine. The track also is one of the few that Steinbrick participates in the vocals with a fuzzed-out bridge at the end of the song that adds a great touch.

Overall, Patent Pending is undoubtedly one of the strongest albums released this year and its qualities will grow on the listener with each run through. Not that one would want to see the demise of Alkaline Trio, but Skiba's work with Steinbrick has been so fruitful so far, it would be a shame for Heavens to be only a one-disc wonder.