Breed

Review by Darren Kerr

This is the first release from North Van's Liquid Amber and two things are clearly evident: the band can play and Andrea Hector can sing. But what this band needs to do to stand out among the myriad of competent rock bands that exist in this oh-so-fickle city of ours is to take some risks, to get a little crazy. Less restraint would go a long way.

Hector sings in a style that is reminiscent of many balls-out rock singers, and thankfully she steers clear of the Alanis Morrisette/Bif Naked school of little bad girl emoting being honed and cloned by so many singers today. But while her vocals are strong, too often she traverses the same territory.

The guitarists churn through "Strange Days," "Stop" and "Mentally Ill" in minor-key contentment. Luke Doucet and Jerry Wong have the chops to propel these songs to higher plane, but they, too, practice restraint and let the pot simmer rather than turning up the heat to a rolling boil.

Come on, people, this is rock and roll. You've got the hooks, the raw materials, and good album cover art. Everything looks really good on paper. Let's channel some chaos, let's stir some shit up, let it all hang out. In the immortal words of Bill Murray, "It just doesn't matter, it just doesn't matter."

Artist Contact Info: Gypsy Records, P.O. Box 30035 Parkgate P.O., North Vancouver, B.C., V7H 2Y8 Canada