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Carolina, & DC

Fine China: The Jaws of Life
[Common Wall]

The Jaws of Life from the American Brit-pop band, Fine China, is respectable and, as its name implies, delicate.  With a sound distinctly reminiscent of Starflyer 59, Fine China puts out track after track of easy rolling guitar riffs and simple rhythms that wont offend you but may not grab your attention either.  Within the popular Brit-pop genre, its beginning to take a lot for a band to stand out from the crowd.  And although this is a decent release, Im not sure that Fine China has reached its potential.   

Every song relies heavily on the juxtaposition of twisted lyrics against sweet melodies, and in some cases, the contradiction almost seems to work.  But overall, The Jaws of Life is lacking in the passion and poetics necessary to pull it off.

With tracks like Are You on Drugs, the band defeats any potential with essentially ridiculous lyrics.  And most attempts at interest through the use of synthesized backdrops, organs, and chimes, give a mildly numbing affect that tends to lay the songs flat.  There are tracks that stand out on the album, but even these have their problems.  Skull and Crossbones offers a powerful message but loses its potency in the whispering vocals and soft melodies. 

Fine China has produced songs that display talents, but dont draw out any of the bands strengths.  With The Jaws of Life, each track has such a similarity that all emotion is lost.  Its impossible to tell the difference between anger or love, as each track is dominated by sameness.  Its not to say that this is a bad release, but it isnt one of the best.  In listening to the album, its easy to see that Fine China has potential to be a band that will appeal to many, and this release would be great for background music.  But, Im hoping that on the next release, theyll find the passion thats lacking in this one. 

Fine China Official Website

Check Amazon, Insound and CD Universe to purchase this album.

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