The Dent, Farewell

The first time I heard the opening song from this Denton-based indie-pop band, I clenched my fists involuntarily. Something about the earnestness of the lyrics and the lead singer’s soft, pretty voice made me want to provoke him to violence so that I could have an excuse to beat him up: “Seems we never ever fight / Always a good guy / Always an ally.” It would have been like taking down a Backstreet Boy.

Years later, someone put this CD on my desk at work when I was trying to find a song for some TV show on the WB. I gave the album a second chance and now feel compelled to say a few things about the band. First off, the saccharine tune that I had initially disliked, “The End of the World,” is actually a solid pop song with glossy production and a hook that can contend with any of Maroon 5’s offerings (remember Kara’s Flowers?). Second, I still think the band’s greatest shortcoming is its lead singer’s inability to growl, grimace, or sound even remotely menacing on songs like “Fantastic,” “Farewell,” and “Help the Dead.” Some lines are not meant to be delivered that tenderly. The choirboy vocals work better on acoustic rock numbers like “Without Fail,” where the band sounds like a modern-day Jars of Clay. But when the band aspires to be a Jimmy Eat World or, God forbid, a Fountains of Wayne, I lose my patience and clench my fists once again.

That said, “End of the World” would make a damned great song for some kind of prime time TV goodbye scene. I hate to admit it, but I think I really like the song. Too bad the band’s now broken up…ah, well.