Bird3

Mixing emo rock with alternative pop, Bird 3's eponymous album has more than a passing resemblance to the Foo Fighters. The band is actually quite good at re-creating that sound; the shimmering electric guitar and thundering drums that Dave Grohl is famous for appear here in a slightly different form. But where Bird 3 drops the ball is in the songwriting department. Most of these songs are the usual angst-filled anthems found in commercial alternative rock, with little or nothing to separate them from the pack. But the slower numbers are actually quite enjoyable, using their emo influences to good effect on tracks like "Glow" and "Tongue Tied." Nothing here is bad; this is all competently played music from good musicians. But nothing here is that memorable either and, with the exception of the slower tracks, this does not exactly jump out at the listener. Bird 3 shows a lot of promise, but the band does not quite deliver on its debut.