Barcelona Falls to 0-3
After pretty big disappointment with the first two EPs, Love Me and Love You, from Barcelona’s three-part EP series The Melodrama, I really hoped that the final addition would salvage my last shred of love for this band. But, seriously, I don’t know what made me hold out hope. I’m about a third of the way into the first of four tracks, and all hope has been ripped out from under me like the artistic gift this band once had.
“Cure” offers an overly-produced but poorly crafted sample of tired old sentiments. I’m not impressed. Basic programmed drums, same overdone ‘80s sound as the other two EPs, and a sore excuse for original lyrics with classically forced rhymes: “I’ll never let you go, give you my heart and soul” and “put your hands on my chest, I’ll make you feel like you’ve been blessed.” Really? Really?
The other three tracks – “On_Off,” “Last Night,” and “Lose Control” – cycle through similar sounds, sometimes overrun by very repetitive keys or maybe by harsh chords here and there, accompanied by the same tired lyrical sentiments, all with the utmost predictability.
Know Love is basically a breakup album, but it’s not profound—musically or lyrically. And you see, one always hopes – I hope – that well-established bands who form, grow and reach some level of fame throughout one’s life might continue to move in the direction of creativity, finding and defining their unique sound, creating for themselves a name and place within the music catalog of the world. Barcelona, unfortunately has done the opposite: they’ve allowed the world to change them, to mold their sound to fit within a very specific genre and demographic, which just makes me think that they’ve lost their creativity and that uniqueness that made them who they were.
And, just like Barcelona, I’ve run out of interesting things to say.
In addition to contributing to NadaMucho.com, Adrienne writes about shows, bands and music on her blog, Reaching Notoriety.
Read Adrienne’s thoughts on the other EPs in the series: