The Bruises’ music feel as devised as the band’s
name (since the leading talents here are duel songwriters
and vocalist/guitarists, Jen Black and Aja Blue). The
hooks have been presorted and organized for maximum
efficiency, the lyrics feel like a continuation of
each other with our girls singing about the same lousy
guy (or is it just that all these guys are exactly
the same to our heroines?) and his repetitive antics
bent on breaking hearts.
The perpetual powerchord barrage that coats this album
like a hard sugar coating is at once hard not to like
and difficult to penetrate. The first half of Connected plays
like a compilation of mid-nineties rock groups that
faded into the soft-underbelly of a thousand indie
flick soundtracks, like a pair of talented musicians
attempting to appeal to everyone without being too
edgy for anyone. The lyrics dutifully veer away
from meaning, instead opting for dull obviousness (example: “I
look left / I look right”).
“Distraction” and “Black and Blue” are
perfectly executed melodic, neo-punk diatribes that
could have had the Bruises on stage at the Bronze back
in 1996. It’s all sickly sweet and superb as
background music, but hardly seems weighty or worthwhile
when compared to the playful pop narratives and instrumental
explorations of groups like Tegan and Sara or the Long
Blondes (or, for that matter, the spazz and beauty
of femme-fronted powerhouses like Gossip or fellow
San Franciscans Erase Errata).
By the time the Bruises kick into “Found,” which
is strangely labeled as an interlude although it yields
the most listenable and interesting bits the band has
to offer, expectations have been lowered and the aural
explorations and intrinsically more interesting arrangements
of Connected’s second half come crashing
down like a sublime force. “Safety in Recovery” captures
the listener unwittingly with a glistening guitar and
keyboard interlock and splattering crescendo snare.
The track negates earlier attempts and catchy chorus
work with a heartfelt, half-time march that actually
hits the emotional buttons it’s aiming for. “Hott
Damn!” finally roils and tumbles into the semi-monotone
cool the Bruises had been heading toward for forty
minutes, with a nice slab of post-punk throb and selfless
emoting. “Here’s To Us” and “Distance
Makes the Heart Bleed” leave the first chunk
of heartbreak anthems in the dust and “Found,” with
its slow-creeping fog of reverb-soaked guitar finds
the group at its best, exploring the possibilities
of ecstasy that a great rock group can divulge.
Cut this disc in half. Toss out the first seven tracks
and you’ve got a stellar EP. Too bad the Bruises
start it all off with a hefty dose of toss-off filler.
Favorite Track: “Found (Interlude)”
