I have never really taken notice of Tokyo Rose prior
to this. I have heard them, and even seen them live
a few times, but for some reason they never managed
to get my attention. While The Promise in Compromise
isn’t exactly new and exciting it does offer
a whole album of hook heavy, poppy treats that are
pretty hard to ignore.
The title track is a nice mix of modern rock and
pop punk that is solid, flowing, and fairly emotional.
I’m so used to this genre sounding either stale
or way over doing the emo bit, I found myself really
enjoying Tokyo Rose’s balanced approach, particularly
on this song. The mild Green Day influence on “Less
Than Four” had me hooked as well, just familiar
enough to be likeable but not so familiar that you
want to call the band a bunch of hacks. “Right
As Rain” is another high point, punctuated by
driving guitars and the just emotional enough vocal
I’ve grown to love. The mildly new wave approach
of “We Can Be Best Friends Tonight, But Tomorrow
I’ll Be…” and “Swimming With
the Sharks” are noteworthy as well.
The Promise In Compromise doesn’t immediately
strike you as a diverse album but the more I listen
the more I believe it is. This band offers a lot of
different approaches, albeit all ones that are currently
popular, to the songs here and that’s a large
part of the reason I enjoy this album. I don’t
think this will be winning an Grammys or making to
many Best Of 2007 lists but if you are looking for
an album that plays enjoyably from start to finish
you could do much worse than this one. Fans of Interpol,
All Time Low, and Mayday Parade will find a lot to
like about Tokyo Rose’s The Promise in Compromise.
Key Tracks: “The Promise in Compromise,”
“Swimming With the Sharks”
Reviewed by Mark Fisher |
