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NoCo This Could Be You
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Independent Release
Rating: 7 out of 10
Reviewed by: Craig “Bam-Bam” Stegall
 While I am admittedly such a huge fan of this band and their prior release, Pull The Plug, I know that their future attempts at living the musical dream and carving a career out of musical performance is not going to ever be realized unless honest reviews of their music are constructively listened to. Like any “new” band that comes across my desk at a rate of about 35-50 a week, Maryland’s NO COMPROMISE (or NoCo for short), hit me a little over a year ago with a demo that showcased a raw, talented trio of great songwriters who had a taste and desire to spread their music in every “right” way possible. They had a killer, well-produced CD that was cleverly sent out to people they hand-picked for reviews and airplay. Kudos are definitely in order. However, as they always say, “You have a lifetime to create your first album, and only a few months to create the follow-up”. While Pull The Plug showcased a hungry band, with some minor oversights…it was still regarded, or at least presented to me, as kind of a demo of sorts and something they were using to get a leg up on their next effort. I awaited that next effort with eager ears. What I got was an insanely well-produced disc of seven tracks (BTW-Thanks for the props in the credits page of the liner notes fellas!), all of which were meticulously written and performed to perfection…sans the vocals. (Pause for the Simon Cowell booing to ensue!) Since all the members are credited with vocals on the entire disc, I can’t really put my finger on who it is, because it is not a complete wash over the entire disc, songs like the brilliant and perfectly suited for radio track, “Restless”, sound so forced in the vocal department during the verses that it almost seems like they would have done it in a different key to accommodate any shortcomings of hitting the notes. However, when chorus time rolls around, sheer perfection ensues and we somewhat forgive the pitchy and forced precursor we’ve just been dealt…until the next verse! Hey, I’m not here to rain on an up-n-coming band’s parade, I’m just offering a little advice. NoCo is an incredibly talented band of only three guys who make more musical sense to me in this age of shitty, radio-friendly pussy rock than any other band I’ve heard in years. The only problem is, I was expecting a lot more improvement from the demo to the final product and I didn’t quite get it. The songs are good…they just could have been incredible. Stylistically, it’s great. Writing, both musically and lyrically, is impeccable. Vocals? I’m not sure if I’m just not hearing the idea correctly, or if it might be above my musical comprehension, which might seem cool in some circles, but if you’re trying to sell records, at least I feel you should use the old PINK FLOYD theory and be as weird and dissonant as you choose…just make it relate to people musically.
High points are the aforementioned chorus in “Restless”, which I totally anticipate will be their bread-n-butter for the next 6-months, and “In My Head”. While it doesn’t score the perfect “10”, it’s still worth your attention, as is their previous release, so support this young band of troopers and visit their website for samples and the opportunity to purchase both for a very good price; NoCo WEBSITE. Recommended for purchase, and as one to keep on your radar for the next year or so. They’ll be back, and who knows, maybe we’ll collaborate the next time around and score that big single!!!
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