The English-as-a-second-language syntax of their album title notwithstanding,
edibleRed are a New York-based band with a distinctly downtown sense of rock & roll attitude. The cello is prominently featured in their sound, but for the most part it's one voice woven into a ragged tapestry of corrosive guitars and airtight beats. This is music with a personality, even a pose, but it doesn't think it's hipper than you. Combine that deceptively subtle balancing act with a frontwoman with bright magenta hair and a spectacular voice, and what could go wrong? Unfortunately, plenty can still go wrong if the lyrics are dumb and the hooks aren't strong enough to distract you from them, and those are exactly the problems with
edibleRed's debut album. Collette McLafferty is an exceptional singer and a charismatic bandleader, but her lyrics need some serious work. Couplets like "Sexy when you sing/Bada boom bada bing" ("Sugar and Spring") and "Happy truly and spiritually aligned and high/It's alright if we don't fight when we don't see eye to eye" ("2012") are barely redeemed by the songs' consistently powerful guitar parts and bludgeoning beats. In a few cases, such as the complex and interesting (if overlong) "Purify" and the soaring "Hey Ya," it's easy to let yourself be drawn in by the band's sheer musical power. But when the songs rely on lyrical content to maintain your interest, the results can be embarrassing. This is a band with tons of promise, but
edibleRed still have some work to do. ~ Rick Anderson