Audio By Carbonatix
Guitar solos have a lot in common with human speech. They can be whispered. They can be screamed. They can be slurred or articulate, concise or long-winded. But, as with verbal communication, they simply need to say the right thing at the right time.
8:05, the debut by Denver’s Bad Directions, is full of decent tunes. But not even singer/bassist Bradley Weaver’s uproarious yet bittersweet cow-punk hootenanny can rise above the overblown noodling of Dan Garcia. Although clearly a talented player, Garcia isn’t able to translate his chops into soul; every time he detonates one of his pyrotechnical, painfully out-of-place leads, the entire song derails. Ironically, Garcia possesses a way stronger voice than Weaver. The guitarist’s lone vocal contribution, “Taos,” is easily the album’s best track and showcases his gritty rasp, earnest melodies and plainspoken lyricism. If only he felt more comfortable flexing his pipes than his fretboard, 8:05 might have been a far more coherent and listenable disc.
