For those of you who are unfamiliar with Tommy Rogers, he is the lead singer/keyboardist for the hugely successful progressive metal outfit Between the Buried and Me. This record is (almost) nothing like a BTBAM record. Yes, some of the songs to bare resemblance to BTBAM's mellower moments, but as a whole Pulse is more of a rock record than anything else.
Before I continue I would like to state my opinion on the matter of solo albums from frontmen of otherwise great bands: please just stick to your main project and forget about becoming the Justin Timberlake of metal. Chances are the reason your band is/was so successful is because you don't do the bulk of the songwriting, or even if you do, your songs go through a filter of outside influence, criticisms, and changes before they hit the public's ears. This "solo malaise" was also witnessed when Todd Smith (Dog Fashion Disco/Polkadot Cadaver/Knives Out) released his disappointing solo album El Creepo last year. Great premise, great ideas, horrible execution. I feel similarly about Pulse.
Some of the songs are phenomenal: brilliantly envisioned and carried out, but others just come up a little short in terms of composition and structure. The first three songs, for example, are awesome, and the album closer "Hypoxia", is one of my favorite songs at the moment. The real problem lies in its inconsistency. One minute you're listening to an epic of monumental proportions, the next you're stomping your foot to a driving rock song, and next still you're craning your neck trying to figure out why so many synthesizers have been laid on top of one another in a horrible attempt at off-beat, experimental electro rock. It's just irritating when you get down to it.
On the flip-side, it is very evident that Mr. Rogers is in fact a pretty good songwriter when he wants to be. He has a knack for structure and a keen sense of how and when a song should build and to what point it should go before exploding with epicness. And I'm a sucker for epicness.
Pulse is like an adolescent ADHD boy going through puberty: just all over the place, which is what I at times like and dislike about it. Like I said before, it's terribly inconsistent, but on their own a lot of the songs can stand up pretty tall. A song like "Armchair Travel", a folksy acoustic tune, really stands out, as does "Reverb Island", driving rock with a simple yet kick ass bass line leading the way. "Mr Bird" is a beautiful symphonic piano ballad and "Medic" even brings some metal into the mix. Then there are songs like "Reject Falicon" and "Catch and Release", stagnant and boring electro experiments. I don't really know what to call them; kind of electric potpourri, and they certainly don't fit within the structure of the record at all. It seems that Tommy is trying to show how prolific he is as a songwriter, but I think the record would have been a lot more effective if he stuck to one or two styles and brought out his full potential there instead of spreading too thin.
Overall, I can't write this record off completely. The songs that are good are really good. It's just too bad that they only take up a little more than half of the album. Stick to BTBAM, Tommy, you're much better off having Paul Waggoner write your songs for you.
6/10
Track Listing:
1. Sleep Shake
2. Reverb Island
3. Mr. Bird
4. Catch & Release
5. Hamilton Anxiety Scale
6. Scared
7. Reject Falicon
8. Medic
9. Suspend the Death Watch
10. Armchair Travel
11. Hypoxia
Favorite song: Hypoxia
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