I Decline - Time to Shine
I’ve lost track of how many years have dissipated into fading memory since I last saw my old friend Dan “The Maniac” Dominiak, but when I ran into him at the recent Cianide, Johnny Vomit, Cardiac Arrest, Bones show (which was fucking legendary, by the way), it was like no time had passed at all. Dan is without question one of the coolest human beings living on this wretched planet, so I was overjoyed when he gave me his band’s newest CD. Since then, I have listened to Time to Shine 666 times, trying to force myself to like it more than I really do. Let me start with the good stuff, of which there is plenty. The recording, mix, and production are absolutely flawless. Holy shit does this sound great. The playing is also phenomenal, especially Patrick’s bass work, which is mixed loud, just how I like it. The lyrics have moments of brilliance, such as “The Administration“‘s answer to Obama’s depressingly false-hope “Yes we can” campaign catchphrase: “No we can’t.” Even the packaging is impressive, with gold foil stamping. It’s just Dustin’s Pop Punk, Alternative vocals that get me. Okay, and maybe an errant riff here and there. But it’s mostly the singing, which mutates from song to song, occasionally, as in “A New Nation,” sounding decidedly like Alice in Chains. That might even be considered a compliment by some, but the track “Jericho,” with little more than sparse acoustic guitar to stand behind the most vexatious vocal performance on the album, is practically unlistenable, forcing me to skip past it 663 of my aforementioned 666 spins. If the singing wouldn’t be a problem for you, consider this much closer to a ten, since musically there are nearly zero flaws.
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