Unwritten Law knows how to survive in the music industry. They stick to Darwin’s laws of evolution. The geek in all of us has to eventually come out. We chose now. The California quartet’s unique musical variations and their highly impressive adaption skills keep them afloat in a world, where outdated bands sink after a hit.
The resilient band has been signed to five different labels and experienced drug and alcohol addiction, but they still manage to churn out album after album and reprise their former glory, before trouble comes creeping back in.
Vocalist, Scott Russo, guitarist, Steve Morris, bassist, Pat “PK” Kim and drummer, Dylan Howard have created an 11 track album that revives the Unwritten Law traits we fell in love with years ago. Those heartfelt mellow tracks we once heard on their self-titled debut album reappear on their recent masterpiece, Swan.
We might relive some Unwritten Law oldies with their latest album, but Swan also reminds us why we have stuck by this band all these years; they continue to reinvent themselves by creating tracks that keep them current and original, but more importantly, they also manage to still hold onto their Unwritten Law foundations.
With Swan‘s opening track, “Starships and Apocalypse,” Unwritten Law shows they are uninhibited and use just about any lyrical combination. With words like starship, apocalypse, drunk, Gucci and la la land, this track seems to cover every letter of the alphabet, but the variety of terms only strengthens the catchiness and fluidity of the tune. It is about time we heard a song about a relationship that did not contain the word love.
The fast paced tunes continue with the track, “Dark Dayz,” which is hardly dark instrumentally and vocally. The tune has a certain bounce and spunk to it that would often not reside with the title given. But who doesn’t love a little contrast? We sure do. Russo’s vocals are extremely fast-paced, but manage to stay on the alternative rock side with hints of rap crossing over the genre boundary. His lead vocals are pulled down to gravity with harmonizing background sounds, which bring the song to a radio-friendly zone. Once again, job well done guys.
Now, it is time to turn the beat down a bit. We are suckers for alternative rock ballads. There is something that just illuminates within us when we hear guys with rough exteriors expose their warm interiors on a track. We guess it goes back to that myth, where guys who hold guitars jump from a level of a five in attractiveness to a level of ten. Whatever the reasoning, Unwritten Law’s “Sing” hits our hearts hard. Russo vocals are saddened, which make the lyrics of the track immensely powerful and believable. The instrumentals keep the song drifting on through, avoiding the track from its own destructive dismalness. “Sing” is far from an alternative rock ballad cop out. The tune could not be anymore genuine than if it were sung in a save a dog commercial.
“Love, Love, Love” does not fall from the same slow tempo as “Sing,” but the track holds its own with it rare instrumental beats of quirkiness. We find it taxing to describe these sounds with the justice they deserve, but here goes a shot. The instrumentals have a tropical and breezy feel to them that impeccably complement the soothing lead vocals and echoing background vocals. “Love, Love, Love” might seem like a corny title for a track of a rock band, but the intricate sounds within the tune allow it to have such a flaky label.
We have covered just about every trait a rock band should have: a variety in vocal control, emotional appeal and refreshing instrumental rifts and beats that avoid being repetitive. All 11 tracks of Swan follow these requirements keeping the album flowing from song to song and keeping each song individualized to a listener.
Unwritten Law proves with their latest album that our music teachers were always right. Experience and practice pay off.
by Lonnie Nemiroff