Artist: Acceptance

Album: Phantoms

Label: Columbia Records

Tracks: 12

Length: 37:39

                Reviewed By: Justin Brinker

 

The transfer from an independent label to a major label has often been considered a risky venture. Some bands seem to flourish after making the shift, while others cease to exist after their major label release. The opposition from their fan base and the pressure to sell enough copies to garner the sufficient funds in order to deem it a successful release can be particularly trying.  Artists and bands know this before signing on the dotted line. For some like the success of Green Day’s “Dookie” it fueled a career that has lasted over a decade, while others like The Juliana Theory’s “Love” had many scratching their heads and cursing their CD players. Enter: Seattle’s Acceptance. Releasing an EP  “Black Lines to Battlefields” in 2003 on the Militia Group, catching the ear of Columbia A&R exec Matt Pinfield, the band soon signed to Columbia Records. Recording began in the summer of 2004, with thirty songs in the mix, Acceptance managed to pin down twelve for the final cut, entitled “Phantoms.”

 

The title is interesting, considering it’s definition is plastered all over their bio and the CD inlay.  It is assuredly fitting as Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines it as “something apparent to sense but with no substantial existence.” That is the feeling I receive each time I listen to this album.  The gentle piano intro to the album’s opener “Take Cover” would have one assuming that the band has headed in a different direction than their previous EP.  Until the familiar vocals of Jason Vena and the dual guitar attack of Kaylan Cloyd and Christian McAlhaney remind the listener that Acceptance hasn’t made a huge leap. Unfortunately the strong pop rock opener is not a gateway for a strong release.  “Over You” opens with Vena singing “Getting over you, oh, getting over you, oh” beneath the palm muted guitar parts and driving bass line, with drum effects intact yet suddenly I felt like I was being thrown into the latest soundtrack from whatever show the WB is promoting. “In Too Far”’s predominant bass line on the verses and layered vocal harmonies does not save the song from the dreadful lyrical themes like “This could be my last goodbye, you could stay I’ll be alright” or even “All of this seems to float away from your lips when their kissing me and your hips when their leaving me.”  Acceptance redeems the album with the mid tempo “The Letter” while “Phantoms” first single “Different” a ballad replete with strings and Vena utilizing falsetto, showcases a different facet to the band. The emotionally charged “This Conversation Is Over” treads familiar territory, but the guitar harmonies are remotely interesting.  “Phantoms” begins to gain momentum in the latter half of the album with the slower tempo  “So Contagious” and it builds from there. “Permanent”, first found on  “Black Lines to Battlefields”, blisters with a thumping bass line on the verses and another strong vocal performance from Vena. “Gloria/Us Appearing”, the closing track, is Acceptance at their best. From the beautiful keyboard intro, to the cadence-like drum pattern, to the two vocal lines being sung over one another in the chorus Acceptance capitalized their strengths of this album and compacted them into a three-minute ballad. Not only is “Permanent” a memorable moment being carried over from the EP, but so is the faultless production of Aaron Sprinkle.

 

“Phantoms” is exactly that.  A collection of pop infused rock songs that will most likely cease to exist after repeatable listens. It just does not possess the urgency or the depth I had expected. That is not to say that “Phantoms” won’t receive an enormous amount of attention, for it already has.  Brandishing all aspects that scream modern rock radio, Acceptance sounds all too familiar on this release.