The Juliana Theory - Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat

The Juliana Theory’s early albums on Tooth and Nail were fundamental to my collegiate experience. The band’s combination of noisy guitars, transparent lyrics and an irrefutable gift for melody seemed to perfectly express what it was like to be me at age twenty. Sadly, in the years since the early TJT records, all of the aforementioned elements that made those albums so great have been hijacked and debased by a host of mediocre emo clones. At times on Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat, the group shows the innovation necessary to rise above the sea of mediocrity for which they may have partially been responsible. The staccato guitar rhythms of “Leave Like a Ghost (Drive Away),” the melodic sensibility of “The Final Song” and the unique bridge section in “Shotgun Serenade” are creative moments that can’t be replicated. The energy and intensity the group displays is praiseworthy and should allow much of the material to translate well in a live setting. The liveliness the band exhibits in such moments is precisely what makes the rest of the album pale in comparison. Most of what happens on this record could pass for a thousand other songs by a thousand other bands. Whether it’s The Juliana Theory’s fault or not, their music seems to easily blend in with all the other high-emotion, high-octane bands on rock radio today. Cliched production techniques, average hooks and song titles like “My Heart Is A Soldier” and “French Kiss-Off” drag down what could have been the band’s chance to set themselves apart in a scene full of interchangeable pieces. In the end, what upsets me most about this record is how much it feels like the experience of outgrowing an old friend. I’m not twenty anymore, and in some small measure, I am growing up. The music of The Juliana Theory doesn’t seem to have grown past the point of expressing what it is to be young and emotional, and if this album could have shown more growth, I would have been all too willing to embrace it. [www.thejulianatheory.com]