H R H - R E V I E W S

Drift Effect
Be Something Independent

Comments: There seems to be a bit of an artistic movement in mainstream rock these days, with bands like The Exies releasing some of the most authentic music the genre has seen in forever, give or take a year. The Minneapolis-based rock band Drift Effect is another one of those surprising bands, recently unleashing a moody but sometimes uplifting CD, Be Something, that runs the gamut from full-on rock anthems to atmospheric ballads.

Unlike most modern rock bands, Drift Effect allows their guitarists (Ben and Marc) to have their say on each song. Their solos and leads are organic, sometimes speedy but almost always soulful, and when you couple this with Ray’s gritty and honest vocals, it seems like the band is drifting in the right direction.

Following an intro, the first song is “Shake.” You’d immediately start thinking, by the down-tuned riffing, that this is another cookie-cutter band. Luckily, that goes out the window, and you are led by a quirky and adept bass line from Nate and vocals fairly close to Eddie Vedder, especially when Ray seems in a higher, softer range. The tempo changes make sense, but the addition of a valid guitar solo is what makes this song stand out.

“Clutter” is a radio-friendly composition, and also the kind of song they do best. You are going to hear a little Audioslave here, especially in the vocal department. The song is about how people fill their lives with, well, clutter, instead of paying attention to what is important in life. “Buy this, buy that …” Good stuff.

“Legend of a Native Woman” is one of their heaviest tracks, and comes in at under three minutes. The impressive part about this track is how everything is electric and bombastic before the chorus, but after that, they make things intimate and somewhat bleak with the pared down acoustics.

One of the most interesting songs is “Not For Good,” which seems like Toad the Wet Sprocket and Shinedown wrote this song together and asked Drift Effect to record it. The chorus is heavily melodic, almost earnest. The guitar solo is brief yet effective, but it’s really the lyrics of, “You don’t see any others. Too blind to even notice … she’ll leave you broken hearted,” that echo in your head one the song is over.

The title track, “Be Something,” is a trippy, garage-sounding ditty. The song is sluggish, like a marijuana-fueled ’70s love-in hit. It is obvious the band sets no parameters for what they are trying to accomplish — they just write what they write. While being formulaic is the way to get noticed these days, it’s nice to see a band just write from the soul.

Drift Effect is a tough band to get your head around. “Interesting” is the best word to encapsulate their sound. If you like music that colors outside the lines, you have to give Drift Effect a chance.

www.drifteffect.com

Track listing:
1. ____
2. Shake
3. Systematic
4. The Clutter
5. Indecision
6. Legend of a Native Woman
7. Listen to Me
8. On a Hill
9. Not for Good
10. No Rides
11. Solstice
12. Be Something

Hardrock Haven rating: 7.3/10