The Never
The Never
MoRisen Records
The Never are a little bit of a few bands and a lot of genres, creating a sound that can only be described as fantastic. On their self-titled debut, they create an addictive rock-pop sound that is radio-worthy and well worth multiple listens.
Every song is unique, but the best is “Bigger Than Jared.” A straight ahead rocker with a chorus like a loaded gun (“Oh look you’ve been fucked again/Regarded by all your friends as a whore/And I don’t need you anymore”), this biting breakup song takes on the ex-girlfriend who evidently is a life-wrecking walking seafood shop. Crabs anyone?
“Thanksgiving (Pt. 1)” takes The Never in a completely different direction. Although it is another break-up song, it appropriates 60’s style doo-wop. Each member takes a verse with the others singing back up. Add a piano and a musical saw, and you get a melancholy ballad worthy of the finest Zippos.
“Baba Yaga” is another highly infectious piano-driven tune that incorporates aspects of musical theater and classical piano. This song will latch on to your memory receptors and never let go. “Hearts In My Eyes” channels the 60’s heartthrob Dion and his smash “Runaway,” and adds a little Beach Boys flavor.
The Never is one of the most sonically diverse pop albums around. Incorporating a multitude of genres and channeling several artists throughout the course of the album, The Never have done something that hasn’t been done in a long while: create a worthwhile pop album.
There is a reason why their 2001 independent release (when they were called The B-Sides) was the biggest selling independent album of 2001 in North Carolina (their home state). I have listened to this album over a dozen times so far, and I like it more and more every time. If the idiots at Clear Channel are paying one iota of attention to decent music (instead of Ashlee Simpson and garbage of that sort), then The Never should have no problem getting on Top 40 stations around the nation. Time will tell if Clear Channel has taken the dollar signs out of their ears.
The Never: http://www.the-never.com
