2008 Woodie Awards
Hello Mahalo shows some promise despite dull album
Erin Shea
Issue date: 12/7/07 Section: Entertainment
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12/07/07 - Hello Mahalo is local, and that's about the only cool thing I can think of to say about the band or its album, Dawning Days.
It's not that they're without talent. Far from it, actually. It's just that while individual band members stand out in certain songs, the way the band as a whole sounds when put together is fairly mediocre.
It just seems like they didn't really try on this one. Their songs all have a pretty similar feel: they all borrow heavily from reggae and rock and throw in a slight jazz influence, and almost all contain a guitar riff of some sort.
Which brings me to my next point: Isn't the idea of a really cool guitar riff to make the song stand out? So doesn't including so many on one album kind of defeat the purpose? You can have too much of a good thing, and Dawning Days is the perfect example of that.
Personally, I got a little sick of the dueling guitars/Guitar Hero-style playing. Be a little more inventive, guys. I know you have it in you.
These guys are really talented. Hello Mahalo's lead singer and bassist, Justin Joyce, has an appealing, rich voice. The guitarists, Jared Pizzaro and Justin Hardy, are both solid guitarists, as their many riffs prove. And last but not least, the drummer, Tom Stanwood, really drives the album, and helped me get through some otherwise dull songs.
There are even a few good songs on Dawning Days. "Nevertheless," with its simple and memorable chorus, fast pace, and impressive, insistent guitars, is nothing short of amazing.
"Son," another standout track, showcases the band's songwriting prowess. The track, a touching account of Joyce's struggle to deal with his father's disease, is moving without being melodramatic.
But it's the title track, "Dawning Days," with its funky chorus and exciting arrangement, that's my favorite. The guys all brought their A-game and they sound remarkable. Why can't the rest of the album be that good?
The rest of the tracks are all fairly problematic. "Eternal Sun" has a good chorus, but the lyrical arrangement sounds off against the music. "The Chase" has the complete opposite problem, with a completely forgettable chorus, dampened even more by Joyce's flat vocals.
"Mind Control," despite its intriguing title, is pretty bland, but tracks 8-11 are the worst offenders. They actually put me to sleep. I wasn't even tired. They just completely bored me and were completely and entirely unimpressive.
I think by that point all the music was just running together, since all the songs run on pretty similar formulas.
Hello Mahalo shows a lot of promise. It just hasn't quite reached its full potential yet. Only time will tell if the band ever will.
It's not that they're without talent. Far from it, actually. It's just that while individual band members stand out in certain songs, the way the band as a whole sounds when put together is fairly mediocre.
It just seems like they didn't really try on this one. Their songs all have a pretty similar feel: they all borrow heavily from reggae and rock and throw in a slight jazz influence, and almost all contain a guitar riff of some sort.
Which brings me to my next point: Isn't the idea of a really cool guitar riff to make the song stand out? So doesn't including so many on one album kind of defeat the purpose? You can have too much of a good thing, and Dawning Days is the perfect example of that.
Personally, I got a little sick of the dueling guitars/Guitar Hero-style playing. Be a little more inventive, guys. I know you have it in you.
These guys are really talented. Hello Mahalo's lead singer and bassist, Justin Joyce, has an appealing, rich voice. The guitarists, Jared Pizzaro and Justin Hardy, are both solid guitarists, as their many riffs prove. And last but not least, the drummer, Tom Stanwood, really drives the album, and helped me get through some otherwise dull songs.
There are even a few good songs on Dawning Days. "Nevertheless," with its simple and memorable chorus, fast pace, and impressive, insistent guitars, is nothing short of amazing.
"Son," another standout track, showcases the band's songwriting prowess. The track, a touching account of Joyce's struggle to deal with his father's disease, is moving without being melodramatic.
But it's the title track, "Dawning Days," with its funky chorus and exciting arrangement, that's my favorite. The guys all brought their A-game and they sound remarkable. Why can't the rest of the album be that good?
The rest of the tracks are all fairly problematic. "Eternal Sun" has a good chorus, but the lyrical arrangement sounds off against the music. "The Chase" has the complete opposite problem, with a completely forgettable chorus, dampened even more by Joyce's flat vocals.
"Mind Control," despite its intriguing title, is pretty bland, but tracks 8-11 are the worst offenders. They actually put me to sleep. I wasn't even tired. They just completely bored me and were completely and entirely unimpressive.
I think by that point all the music was just running together, since all the songs run on pretty similar formulas.
Hello Mahalo shows a lot of promise. It just hasn't quite reached its full potential yet. Only time will tell if the band ever will.