Sold for a Smile

Vocalist Paul Jago sings like a more subdued version of Perry Farrell, while the rest of the Gandharvas have the ability to shape simple riffs into funky metal/punk anthems ("Sarsaparilla"), trance-inducing workouts ("Waiting for Something"), or Beatlesque ballads missing from Abbey Road (i.e., the chorus of "Shells"). The Gandharvas have a way of being able to take a melody line or chord pattern and expand upon it so that it's not just one-dimensional. This is true on songs like "Downtime" and "The First Day of Spring," which use the same chord progression for the verse and chorus parts. A few clunkers do exist nonetheless, such as the track "Diaboloney," which seems to take a stab at sounding like one of the most threatening songs on the album, only to wind up making you realize that attitude alone doesn't make a good song sometimes. However, this shouldn't be held against the band, because the end result of this record is one to be appreciated. After all, how many hard rock bands are willing to cover Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" and give it their own metallic reggae feel?