Ever wonder what Jane's Addiction would sound like if they were to hit the market today?
Ladies and gentlemen, meet Anyone, a three-piece band based out
of California, whose self-titled album (their first big-label
release and second overall) is sure to catch many people off-guard.
Sure, with the funny hairstyles and their less-than-standard
appearances, Anyone could easily be lumped into the nu-metal
category, and listeners might expect industrial-oriented power
chording - like I did.
Boy, was I happy to be wrong about that. There is most definitely an edge to Anyone's music, but it's tempered with an eye on songwriting and overall musical harmony. Listen to a song like "Don't Wake Me" and try to wonder why such a song isn't on the radio right now waking rock music out of its teeny-mmm-bop doldrums. In a stagnant pool of music, Anyone is a fresh drink of water we've been screaming for.
The band - guitarist/vocalist Riz Story, bassist Static and drummer David "Nipples" Murray - interest me because they don't always feel like they have to rely on guitar solos to get their points across. Instead, the songs themselves are the catalysts; tracks like "Don't Wake Me," "Whole World's Insane," "Giving Thrills" and "Wait Until Morning" surprise in their harmonics more than their musical crunch. It's a surprising approach, but it's a welcome change. Story's vocals are a cross between Perry Farrell's and Redd Kross - a little hystrionic, but almost with a retro feel that makes them pleasing to the ears.
If there's any weakness to Anyone, it's that the band builds up such a good head of steam at the start that when there is a bit of a lull like on "Turnaround" and "Running Dry," it's a pretty steep dropoff. Fortunately, Anyone is able to recover from these brief lulls with songs like "Drops Of Miracle" and "Peace Love & Toxic."
Chances are good that Anyone might scare people away based on how they look, and what people will perceive the music to be. But appearances can be deceiving, and the reality of who they are as musicians is quite pleasing. Give Anyone a chance.