The Georgia Straight | by John Lucas |
Wayside masters art of sounding generic | Thursday, September 24th 1998 |
WAYSIDE
....Until Now (independent) That I personally find what Wayside does to be generic and unexciting is neither here nor there. The band seems to have accomplished exactly what it set out to do: create a highly commercial sound for rock radio. A band that lists Poison among its influences and aspires (to quote Wayside's media release) "to produce a modern rock sound reminiscent of Better Than Ezra, Foo Fighters, and the Refreshments" doesn't need much creativity, but it had better have its chops down. On that score, Wayside has certainly succeeded. The six songs on ...Until Now are well-composed and tightly played, and Craig Zurba's production is polished. Any one of these tracks would be a natural fit on CFOX, wedged somewhere between the Gin Blossoms and Age of Electric on a weekday afternoon. In short, this EP sounds great, but is instantly forgettable. And isn't that what commercial rock is all about these days? |