Neuralgia

Review by P. Freako

Vancouver band FiveStarGeneral's current release is a thoughtful album possessing sometimes dark lyrics and a theme of dealing with what lies in your head and your surroundings. Underlain with brooding guitars and methodical drums, the intense tone is created to bring the listener's mind into the album and into the songs. The disc starts off with rolling drums and light guitar and for a brief moment I was left wondering whether it was going to break into the dark Doors style or the heavier, dark Pearl Jam style. It broke into the latter, and if you like early Pearl Jam, you are going to like Neuralgia.

FiveStarGeneral, however are not another one of those Pearl Jam rip-offs. One can hear the influence, but FiveStarGeneral are their own entity. The beginning of the songs dictate the pace and mood, whether it be the rolling drums in "All Milk is Mine" and "Nothing is Easy," the acoustic guitar on "Don't Mean a Thing" or the bluesy harmonica on "Chicken" and "Tango."

Neuralgia is a good, thoughtful album that carries a lot of emotion and showcases Eric Corne's powerful vocals. This is the first I've heard of FiveStarGeneral and hopefully it won't be the last.

Artist Contact Info: Box #9 - 199 West Hastings St., Vancouver, B.C., V6B 1H4