Burnthe8track has definitely accomplished one of the better definitions of "white noise" I've come across lately. Their debut full-length The Ocean is far from horrible, but it still leaves me scratching my head trying to figure out exactly what they're going for.

You'd think that with the definite Midwestern-esque emo sound of great influences like Braid and Hum shining through in the music (just more aggressive) and vocals that occasionally bear a resemblance to the soft backups of The Ghost, the band could easily pull off something not only original but also highly creative and intriguing; unfortunately, it's just not the case. There's little things adding up that just bore the listener, like a certain cohesiveness they can't seem to grasp, or a certain artificialness in the energy. Their sober arrangements just seem "misplaced" in a sense.

With an intricate, peculiar choice of guitar licks and high-pitched wails jumping out at random, their attempt on capitalizing on the subtle melody in college rock just seems oddly awkward. It just isn't completely together in a really frustrating way.

This record leaves nothing more than a taste of indifference in my mouth, and that's all there is to it.

MP3
Two Worlds Apart