Socratic - Spread the Rumors

Genre indie-pop Publisher Drive-Thru Records External Links Socratic Website Socratic MySpace

Upon first listen, Spread the Rumors, the sophomore album from Socratic, shows quite a lot of promise. It isn’t until the second or third time through that the major cracks begin to appear in the façade. It was on these subsequent plays that the bright spots (competent musicianship, decent composition, and likable vocals) began to nag at me. Finally it dawned on me… every one of these aspects seems to have been lifted directly from their label mates at Drive-Thru Records. This entire CD, with its pop guitar sensibilities and just a twinge of piano, has been done before by others: Something Corporate, Early November, Allister, etc.

But, for all of Socratic’s derivative nature, the true problems do not reveal themselves until you begin to delve into the writing. The album opens with “Boy in a Magazine” which at first glance seems to be a fairly standard break-up track with a hint of bitterness. It is the chorus, though, that speak clearly to the band’s level of maturity (Can anyone sing about putting up with a girlfriend while she is “pissed and on the rag” and expect to be taken seriously?). Unfortunately, this isn’t just a fluke. “I Haven’t Seen You in Years” is a vaguely creepy number that appears to be about being in love with an old woman down the street (Vocalist Duane Okun actually refers to her as “old lady”) and “May I Bum a Smoke” is an ode to the practice of getting high on a constant basis (a reoccurring theme throughout the album). Duane Okun is an oddity in an of himself. On the surface, he is a perfectly respectable vocalist, but every so often he will abruptly switch to a gratingly nasal tone.

All the more heartbreaking are the few moments Socratic transcends the neat little box they’ve placed themselves in. They are tiny glimpses into what Spread the Rumors could have been. The best track is the one on which they seem the most emotionally invested. “Long Distance Calls,” with its acoustic guitars and low key tone, is a heartfelt examination of divorce and its affects on a family. The closing track, “Another Headache,” focuses almost entirely a brilliant interweaving of Okun’s vocals and touching medley of guitar and piano. While still wearing their influences on their sleeves, the band manages to construct a couple of tracks worthy of some of more established groups on Drive-Thru. The boys in Socratic shine brightest when they avoid trite lyrics and cookie cutter sentiments.

Spread the Rumors was produced by Mark Hoppus (formerly of Blink-182), who also had a large part in damaging the second album from Motion City Soundtrack (If you don’t believe me, listen to I am the Movie and immediately follow it up with Commit This to Memory), so some of the blame may be laid at his feet. Hoppus has a record of downplaying the better elements of the albums he produces, so one is forced to wonder if a live performance would improve these tracks. Given time and hopefully some maturity, Socratic possesses qualities that could lead them to be an original and extremely likable indie-pop band. Let’s hope that they allow themselves to crack the mold and expand beyond their currently limited range.