Artist: Lydia
Album: This December, It’s One More and I’m Free
Label: HourZero Records
Tracks: 10
Length: 50:31

Sometimes I think of comparisons for albums I review that are so accurate and apt that it makes me giggle. Be it good or bad, there is something self satisfying in knowing I just though up the perfect way of letting a reader get a peek into an artists sound without a sound clip. I learned in one of my high school English classes that when offering a critique of someone’s paper to go over the good points before getting to the bad. So assuming Mr. Metzler knew what he was talking about I present The Good.

The Good
This cd has a really good, natural flow. Musically it progresses from song one to song two to three and four (and so forth) without any awkward lapses or blips. Lyrically there seems to some kind of master play, a story of sorts, which is followed. While I am personally unable to follow the lyrics from point A to point B, it does seem like an impressive deal. The musical vision of Lydia (which is just a band name, there isn’t anyone in the band named Lydia) is executed without flaw. They know what they’re writing and perform it spot-on.

The Bad
Unfortunately, Lydia’s vision also seems to be that of being a disciple of Dashboard Confessional. While Lydia tends to be more orchestrated and electric than most of Dashboard’s stuff (not to mention really feeling like a whole piece, while Dashboard Confessional is a journey in the art of writing a single) their vocalist are fairly close to Chris Carrabba’s with an occasional Modest Mouse twist. When they strip their sound down to the acoustic guitar and voice I keep half expecting to hear “Your hair, it’s everywhere, screaming infidelities…” (from the famed Dashboard Confessional song “Screaming Infidelities.”)

More amusing, and what made me giggle in the first place, was how listening to this cd made me think of the FOX television show, The OC. From the lyrics (“This place is going dead, so snap our picture let’s go down outside, you’re so pretty in pink, black bracelet, I could never forget so let’s drink up tonight. You say, you say it, it’s running through my veins, well please stay safe you’re only 17” from “A Story for Supper,”) to the artsy female on the cover of the album, to the crisp and dramatic way the album was recorded. It’s trying to be hip and cool and trendy, just like the The OC.

Yet, just like how it is easy to get caught up in the tv show, there is still something appealing about this cd that is hard for me to put my finger on. Maybe it’s just my secret love for teen drama. Whatever it is, this isn’t an album I’d buy but will keep in my collection. Any fans of The OC will probably appreciate this album. It is teen drama to a T.