Vagabonds

The Classic Crime don't seem to know what kind of face they want to present to the world. At times, they proclaim themselves (through their floppy-haired mouthpiece Matt MacDonald) as humble young men bearing the weight of the world on their collective shoulders. Other times, they are confrontational, gladly suffering the slings and arrows of their critics (or as MacDonald sings on "Cheap Shots": "Go ahead and spit your poison out/go ahead and take your cheap shots/I've never been to proud to say: 'Why don't you rub my face in it?'").



It doesn't end there, either. Between those two extremes, MacDonald spits bile at a cheating wife ("Broken Mess"), plays the pious romantic to his long-suffering wife ("Different Now") and then proclaims himself a "happy nihilist" on a song of the same title. 



MacDonald isn't being willfully slippery, though. Rather this is the approach that far too many faith-based groups take: trying to be all things to all people. But in their attempts to give their fans something to relate to, they run the risk of alienating the lot of them. This isn't to say that all the lyrics should stick to one idea or theme, but a little focus would be welcome. 



The rest of this Seattle-based outfit play the same chameleonic act, switching between pyrotechnic-filled stadium rock ("My Name"), embarrassing trucker metal ("Solar Powered Life") and plenty of mid-tempo fist pumpers. They've obviously garnered enough goodwill among their fans, trusting that they'll follow every sharp right turn the album takes. Newbies, on the other hand, will likely be left with a befuddled look to go along with their bad case of whiplash.

Tooth & Nail http://www.toothandnail.com/