Lostprophets

The Fake Sound of Progress (Columbia)
by Scott Hefflon

I like a lot of the ideas Lostprophets have, especially their fearlessness to experiment with all kinds of sounds and styles, but it doesn’t quite gel for me. Anyone sick of what a flatlined genre nü metal is (and always has been, but let’s not poke fun at people who simply didn’t know – as the title states – that nü metal is actually neither new nor metal in the traditional sense) should check out Lostprophets, simply to see that ingenuity and experimentation can, in fact, take place in a genre not exactly known for, uh, intelligence.

There’s some Mike Patton crooning, some jazz skittling, and layered harmonies amidst the grunting, chopping rhythms, and various howling hoo-ha. And some DJ scratching, but it’s not as awful as it sounds. Actually, hell, if I were to listen to this for a week straight, I bet it’d settle in nicely, the weak sections being forgiven, the simple reality that even fun parties have lulls, and some of the sparkling moments would be anticipated and appreciated, like that feeling you get when a good friend finally shows up and you head across the room to say hey. This is the band’s U.S. debut, I believe, so check ’em out and keep an eye on these guys. The British press already fawns over them, but they have the tendency to do that. Me, I could really get into this over the long haul, and look forward to seeing what else they come up with.
(www.lostprophets.com)