Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on AbsolutePunk.net.
The cult of the jam band knows no limits. Any casual music fan is well aware of the throngs of fans that pack venues to see bands like Phish, Umphrey’s McGee and the Dave Matthews Band. In Washington, D.C., vocalist Phil Kominski has fashioned the Lloyd Dobler Effect, a jam-band-of-sorts with a decided melodic flair. Though the band spins more towards college frat-rock than that of LSD-induced psychedelia, the hallmarks of the jam band sound are still very much felt on the band’s latest CD A Mute Reminder. Like most jam bands, they pride themselves on their live set, having received various accolades from a myriad of D.C. publications for their inspired concerts. Moreover, the group has toured in 13 countries and almost all 50 states, which these days isn’t so easily achieved.
A Mute Reminder begins with arguably the group’s most impressive effort to date, a propulsive and anthemic cut dubbed. “The Past.” With Kominski’s striking vocals and a playful guitar line, “The Past,” is a cheery ode to foresight that would certainly serve well at college radio. While “The Past,” is a high-flying way to start an album it is also the disc’s main drawback. Try as the band might, the next 13 songs aren’t anywhere near as strong as the jet-powered kick of the opener. First single “Meet Me In London,” has a decided punch and a rhythmic quality that’s worth holding into, but in terms of potency, it does seem to fall a bit short. Of the album’s first half only “Radio,” and “Release Me,” are worth setting aside. While the disc does warm up in the latter half, the only tracks worth coming back to are “Empty Reach” and “Fingertips”
The band’s biggest downfall may be that it leans too heavily on the vocal muscle of Kominski, who has both strong lungs and decent range. But his vocals aren’t impressive enough to vault the disc into another stratosphere. That very problem is why A Mute Reminder is so disappointing. Five or six buzzworthy songs is certainly respectable, but seven or eight cuts of filler is laughable. In an age when dollar downloads and singles are the choice du jour, having an album of this many misses is not going to do much to vault this band out of the D.C. live circuit.
Though they’ve rest their hats on their live show and draw heavy on the talents of percussionist Rusty Williams, his skills aren’t deeply felt anywhere on this outing. Instead of an album of intoxicating guitar-rock, A Mute Reminder is just a ho-hum effort of college frat-rock. Eight years into their careers, Kominski and his cohorts are far better than this. Let’s hope their next effort proves exactly that. As it stands now, Lloyd Dobler Effect are in a bit of a mess.
