The Firebird Band - The City At Night

Being a fairly big fan of Braid, I'm surprised I didn't check out The Firebird Band sooner. Chris Broach was a vital part of one of the greatest bands to come out of the mid-90's "emo" scene in Illinois, but that never prompted me to explore his more recent musical ventures. Just looking at the tracklisting reveals that the majority of these songs are over four minutes long...many being over five. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, but when you're making a song that's somewhat more lengthy than average (I consider 3:30 to be enough time for a song to run its course, in most cases), it's nice to have some sort of progression. The Firebird Band tends to just keep repeating and repeating the same synth/drum/vocal lines, and while repetition can drill something into your mind, there's really nothing here worth doing this for. The City at Night is a decent record, and Broach and John Isberg make good use of their synth. My qualm is that the songs tend to go nowhere, and like I previously stated, the repetition isn't working for them. Now if you were to ask about their sound, I would tell you that it's synth-driven, dancy indie-rock with rather boring vocals and not entirely reminiscent of the Postal Service or the Faint, though I could see them sharing a lot of the same fans. That said, some of the songs are pretty good--the opening "Obsessive Compulsive," "Next Wave," "Los Angeles." And I know I'm not the first to point it out, but "Wake Up," which features a hip hop chorus...well, it doesn't fit here. The yelling that Broach provided his previous band...that doesn't fit here, Chris. Yes, it's good; it sounds awesome, but not here. Overall, it seems like Chris Broach could create something at least half as interesting and entertaining as Braid. We know he's talented; The Firebird Band is talented. There's just not much to grab onto on The City at Night. [www.thefirebirdband.com]