Review: Makeshift Prodigy – Mathematica
You can learn pretty much all you need to know about Makeshift Prodigy from one particular line from their MySpace profile: they credit member Brandon Fox with “vocals and ambience.” This is a band that thinks about “creativity” in very specific terms, with a space-age vibe that places premium value on atmosphere and mood. And, for a band with such obvious and lofty goals, they pretty much nail what they’re trying to do, with a few caveats that prevent total transcendence. Their new album Mathematica expands the group’s palette a bit but essentially offers a revised, improved version of their debut (Welcome To The World), which is not a bad thing -- the overall effect is pleasant and distracting, like Snow Patrol with some darker undertones and the drama dialed down to “manageable.”
The lead vocals, from Anthony Bagnara, are generally strong, although he goes over the top once in a while with the manically chanted monosyllabic ululations. More often, though, the intensity of the vocals drives the music and pushes it into ever-higher gears, and on one song (“Sentimentalist”) he totally sounds like Rod Stewart for a two-minute span that ranks as the record’s absolute best. On the other end of the spectrum, there’s an ersatz and totally unnecessary rap tagged onto “Clockwork” that doesn’t add ambience so much as annoyance. It’s awesome to branch out and try new stuff, but sometimes expression desires limitation. Just sayin.’
For the most part these guys hold it together. People who like pianos will definitely enjoy that instrument’s prominence in many of the arrangements (courtesy of Bagnara and lead guitarist Jake Foy), and Foy has mastered a particular style of twinkly, shimmering guitar that’s totally impressive while also making me wish he’d kick shit into overdrive more and straight-out pummel my head with the real big riffage. But I always think this stuff works better with more aggression and less atmosphere, so you can definitely take my opinion with a grain of salt -- I can totally see this being the favorite new CD of anybody who really gets off on the faux-pomp grandeur of 30 Seconds To Mars. This is music that required talent and imagination to create, so I don’t fault it when it veers from what I’m personally wanting from my daily dose of firepower.
Makeshift Prodigy:
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[...] the city of Chicago, and is his pick to click to break out in the next year or two. Check out our review of Mathematica, as well as our live CD release show review, and interview with the [...]