Poor production. Off-key vocals. Poorly mixed parts. Inharmonious group vocals.
Resigned by
the Lies is plagued with a general lo-fi and amateurish sound. These conditions don't help matters, as
Resigned adopts a bleak and forlorn music style (think slow, warped, and poorly played carnival music). In fact, many of the ten tracks resemble the sounds of 18th century funeral procession marching bands. This is best demonstrated on the album's opener, "Accident & Emergency," and continues with "Perverse," which is only marginally better because one vocal is used for most of the song -- the off-key harmonizing that afflicts the album is kept to a minimum this way. "Cosmetic" and "Rogues Are Weary" are somewhat engaging and are the set's two decent numbers. This is due largely in part to the fact that the band wisely eliminates those cacophonous backing vocal parts. Years ago,
Morrissey,
Robert Smith, and others successfully made being miserable fun. But
Resigned flatlines. If you weren't depressed before listening to
Resigned, you will be afterward, and it won't be because of the gloomy nature of the disc -- it's because the tracks' overall quality and performance lack the basics of a good song: singing in tune, interesting structure, and the minimum amount of instrument skills expected on a salable CD. Angst-ridden high-school goth kids looking for a somber soundtrack to be miserable to may enjoy this amateurish set. ~ Liana Jonas