Scissors Xclaim

Gage

By Sean Norris

This Canadian band has me on its side with Scissors – I like the album The unusual opening with solo congas quickly switched a Nirvana-like guitar melody – almost, should one say it? – better than Nirvana. Gage has a cleaner sound even though they also use distortion. The bass line is just better, more supportive and more integrated into the total sound.

The lead vocal is clean even when he's screaming and the lyrics are the kind that make you want to think. Nice harmony, with the timbre dominated by bass, guitar and drums, with synthesizer input. The album is not pitched as deep as a lot of music in this genre but was more in the "pretty" range, as the guitar wove a leading pattern throughout. The bass was so subtle and blended in places that it was hard to pick out. This was a real positive for this group.

The tempo changes were outstanding, shifting so drastically that it made the listener feel the emotional ups and downs of the lead singer. The music bonded the singer and listener in a meditative relationship that left this listener thoughtful and pensive.

Everyone I shared this album with wanted a copy. Comments ranged from "great" to "awesome" to "kick a** cool." For me, it's an album for "spin the disk, spin the dream." A good experience.