The Soundtrack Of Our Lives

I can’t fully understand why it is that I consider Origins Vol. 1 to be a bit of a guilty pleasure… but I do. Considering the fact that The Soundtrack of Our Lives are generally categorized as an indie rock n’ roll band, this is an incredibly polished, consistent and, at times, magnificent album. Whereas most indie efforts fall flat in the area of production and have exceptionally dull moments, this one soars.

The Soundtrack of Our Lives have an irrefutable gift for composing perfectly structured pop songs (see “Believe I’ve Found,” “‘Lone Summer Dream,” “Borderline”). Buoyant, winsome, and lovely, they bring to mind the essence of the 1960’s and bands like The Byrds or, dare I say it, The Mamas and The Papas; these are songs that you’ll find yourself humming along to even if you don’t know the lyrics.

This isn’t to say that Origins Vol. 1 doesn’t also excel in the full-throttle rocking out area. It only takes one listen to “Transcendental Suicide,” to find out that indeed, it does. A bit psychedelic, really energetic, guitar lines that could make you weep they’re so brilliant… what can’t this band do? Other standout tunes include “Bigtime” (a proper anthem), ‘Mother One Track Mind’ (very Rolling Stones-esque, complete with handclaps and a dance floor ready sensibility), and “Age of No Reply” (the aforementioned brilliant guitar work).

Of course it’s all plagiarism – “Midnight Children” is The Soundtrack of Our Lives doing their best Lou Reed impersonation, “Transcendental Suicide” has Keith Moon rolling in his grave, “World Bank” is nothing more than a good Pink Floyd rip-off… blah, blah, fucking blah. It would obviously be nice for a band to bring something new to the figurative rock n’ roll table, but seeing as that’s not likely to happen anytime soon, I don’t see much wrong with some good, shamelessly derivative tunes for the time being.  [ END ]

Track Listing:

01. Believe I’ve Found
02. Transcendental Suicide
03. Bigtime
04. Heading for a Breakdown
05. Mother One Track Mind
06. Midnight Children
07. Lone Summer Dream
08. Royal Explosion (Part 2)
09. Wheels of Boredom
10. Borderline
11. Song for the Others
12. Age of No Reply
13. To Somewhere Else
14. World Bank

Run Time: 1:00:00