If you've ever had a chance to witness
the Pattern live, you'll know them to be a raging, furious quintet of somewhat manly rock dudes. Howler Chris Appelgren, formerly of
the Peechees, is an entertaining presence as he twirls around and flirts with the ladies. These fellows most definitely rock. But as was the case with
the Peechees,
the Pattern don't rock nearly as spectacularly on record. The songs jumble together into one long shout and grind and don't have anything in particular that distinguishes them from each other. And Appelgren's voice always sounds whinier on record. There are certainly some moments when the band gels, often in the bridge of a song, but otherwise, it's verse, verse, chorus, little lead bit, and then back to verse, chorus. Perhaps, a live album might serve them better, or maybe the spontaneous fun of their concerts just won't fit on a CD. ~ Adam Bregman