The Stereo

No Traffic
(Fueled By Ramen Records)
Non-Local Artist

By: Peter Berard (Lawrencerock.com Editor/Designer)

The Stereo has been through some excruciating growing pains since its first album, Three Hundred. Co-founding member Rory Phillips has left to RETURN to The Impossibles while leaving the other co-founding member, Jamie Woolford, left in the dust as a solo act. I should mention that there were these three guys who were in the band briefly to record The Stereo's New Tokyo EP, but no sooner were they hired for the job than they were, you guessed it, fired. Jamie has shed some original light on the subject by claiming that "personal and creative differences were the cause" for the break up. I don't think I have ever heard that reason for a band break up before, but I guess there is a first time for everything. Well, unusually witty sarcasm aside, even with all of the changes Jamie and The Stereo have been through over the last year, he has still managed to create a great pop/rock album with the new release, No Traffic.

No Traffic is a pop album through and through. Distorted guitars, catchy lyrics, and make-your-heart-melt vocal harmonies are all in the mix of this release. No Traffic is solid from start to finish. The best song on the album is the opening track, "Get Set for Sound". The song begins with acoustic guitar and then transforms into a full fledged rock song. The song features an illustration of Jamie's realistic take on the state of today's music business. "Get set for the brand new sound/ it's perfect in everyway/ Unlike any before you've found/ at least that's what we're told to say".

This kind of honesty is refreshing in a music world saturated with arrogant teen poppers and hip hop thugs whose only goal in the music business is to ascend to the top of the TRL countdown. It's not out of the stretch of an active imagination to picture The Stereo on MTV, however. No Traffic has so many pop hooks and catchy lyrics that a song from it could easily make it big in mainstream pop culture.

Unfortunately for The Stereo, however, as the collective intelligence of our wonderful nation continues to plummet below measurable levels, Britney Spears' "assets" will continue to dominate the pop music world. Well, enough ranting for today and back to the matter at hand: No Traffic. Other stand-out tracks on the album include the 60's style pop song "Things to Consider" and the infectious-like-a-hypodermic-needle-on-a-beach rock song "Can't Look Back".

The only weakness of No Traffic is that it never changes its mood or sound. Those who are familiar with The Stereo's first release, Three Hundred will miss the piano ballads that made that album unique. Even though No Traffic lacks some of the originality of Three Hundred it is still a great rock album; anyone with a pulse should be able to enjoy it.