Main Attraction is the musical equivalent of a giant bowl of Frosted Flakes. Nauseatingly sugar sweet if the mood isn't right, addictive as hell the rest of the time, and while other things might be tastier or better for you in general - you can't help going back and getting just one more tasty bowl. Just the right amount of crunch floating in a sea of creamy milky goodness. You just
"Keep on Coming Back..." at least for another sampling of a handful of these songs. What a fitting title it could have been... if only they had put more effort into the overall picture.
MA was born from a split up between Terje Eide and vocalist Bennech Lyngboe who had formed
On the Rise - a band highly applauded by melodic rock critics and fans alike. Everyone who sampled Rise looked forward to disc two but that was fated to never transpire. Instead, Bennech formed this outfit to exercise his creative side. He took some of the
On the Rise material with him to kickstart the heart of the new operation. Comparisons immediately started flying between this and the Rise disc. Missing a contributing member, it is of course going to sound different. Some say this is a blander version of the other band but having not heard it, I can only judge
Main Attraction on its own merits.
To me it sounds like guitar laden
AOR with hooks going overboard to be the main attraction. It is candy coated, Scandi flavored rock with a vocalist that resembles a Nordic accented Gary Barden. The guitars are very jazzy influenced in places, adding texture and a unique, tasteful splash. Other times they seem strangely ghostly, disjointed and out of place. Like someone tossed a prog solo in your platter full of
AOR. When it works though, its a nice breath of fresh air.
"Keep On" is strongest in the beginning and tapers off as it nears the end, blowing its best right off the bat and not saving much for later. This causes the disc to feel lopsided as it goes off with more of a whimper than a banging finish.
Most songs are likeable confections. "Calm Before the Storm" has this wonderful zippy feel with winter blown guitars and that big, Scandinavian
AOR sound. Makes a great opening track since it grabs you from the get go.
"Remember" is one huge harmony infused bit that just rolls with the catchiness. Bennech sounds a tad on the forced side here but works through it.
"Only One" is more straight up guitar friendly
AOR with alot of bounce in its hard rockin step.
"Calling You" makes the singer sound alot like a rougher Gary Barden and the guitars have a jazzy juiced up flavor lying beneath.
"Blue Jean Girls" is a lush, summery melodic rocker with a savory sound that makes the song pop out from the rest. It might be the highlight of the album, the two openers aside of course. Almost a Scandi version of Y&T.
The rest are kind of scattered all over the place. Alot of the songs sound unrefined, as if they could have used more of workover in the studio. Bennech struggles sometimes with the material. He is not entirely comfortable hitting all those notes and feels at his best when he is presented with a more medium range than attempting the higher stuff.
The biggest sticking point is the vocalist, and that is up to the listener's personal tastes. There's also the weak production that makes the disc sound a trifle hollow and unfinished at times. Oh not to mention the problems with the insertion of certain instruments that often times feels weirdly out of place. This is strictly a love it or hate it kind of thing. Yes, they do go too far with the hooks and their repetition oftentimes, but keep digging and you might find something of interest. "Keep On Coming Back" has worthwhile portions but is best left to the more adventurous, due to it being riddled with problematic issues. It is going to take alot of polish and priming before this act gets properly billed as the
Main Attraction.
Written by
Alanna Tuesday, June 13, 2006
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