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The Cringe:
Scratch the Surface
How can one listen to up-tempo grunge rock and be this bored? Is this derivative work? Hardly just curse-inducing repetition. The Cringe, with their album, Scratch the Surface, has put its name to solid use. If I ever have to listen to this album again, I will force myself to move to whatever region of the world where residents appreciate this flannel-shirts-and-alleyways rock, and start my own junkyard. Formed in New York City, The Cringe claim to have absorbed influences throughout their childhood, most of which I cannot hear on this record. The influences they seem to have actually absorbed are sadly lacking in the credits. Scratch the Surface sounds like Creeds thankfully shelved high school release, substituting the pop-opera swells for throwback, adolescent Led Zeppelin overtures. This is, honestly, not a compliment. Despite two slight punk attempts (I Dont Know and Life That You Choose), every song follows close on the heels of its garage-grunge predecessor. Too Many Problems has a good hook, but fails to deliver, becoming repetitious within the first ninety seconds. Grave might have been an experimental piece for them, as the tempo increases and decreases, with a few styles evident in the track mostly punk and grunge. John Cusimano, lead vocals and backup guitar, has a good, if typical, rock voice. Lead guitarist Rob Levin certainly plays a mean 70s-era guitar; twelve of the thirteen songs have a guitar solo typically described as blazing. The issue arises in the predictability of the aforementioned solo, arriving as it does, almost every time, within the last minute of the song. The rest of the band performs very well; in that sense, they are a solid act. Each member is obviously committed to the overall sound and plays with as much emotion as the master tapes can convey. One of the redemptive qualities to this otherwise mediocre work is the raw, immediate sound of the production. Even if I dont like the show, I certainly felt like I was close to the stage. I am not usually so harsh. But The Cringe could do much, much better than they have on Scratch the Surface. All the basics are there a talented guitar lead, a good gritty voice, a strong backup band. The details are lacking: The Cringe needs to make a consolidated effort to move beyond the surface of their own music. Until such time, I will be living peacefully in my own neck of the woods and blessing the day that grunge rock this uninspired begins to fade from the minds of the average listener.
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