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Sherwood - Qu

Rating

RIYL

Relient K
The Beach Boys
The Beatles

Release Date

10/13/2009

Label

Myspace Records

Tracklist

1. Shelter
2. Hit The Bottom
3. Not Gonna Love
4. Maybe This Time
5. Make It Thru
6. Worn
7. What Are You Waiting For?
8. Around You
9. Ground Beneath My Feet
10. Free
11. No Better

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Recent Ratings
benny06

On Qu, Sherwood reaches and swipes for the words “pop masterpiece,” but they never quite get a grip on them. Like previous efforts from the light-hearted Californians, Qu is swollen with some of the most competent pop aesthetic to be unfortunately hindered by inconsistent lasting value. They dive for the Beach Boys but often just end up with a mouthful of Relient K. Still, Qu is the closest they’ve come to perfection, which is a good indicator of progression. But while we wait for them to make the perfect album, this one has some bright spots of its own.

“Shelter” kicks the 12 track pop fest off in Beach Boys style. When vocal melodies hog the stage and instruments are muted, it sounds like the track is precluding a Pet Sounds tribute album, with resonant production beautifying at full force. “Hit The Bottom” returns hastily to modern pop, though, and the passionate blandness of its chorus makes the following “Not Gonna Love” soar. But juxtaposition aside, “Not Gonna Love” may be the best song Sherwood has written. It combines happy-go-lucky gang vocals with sweet “ooh ooh’s” (once again hearkening back to a certain Californian mega-hit) and tinges of electronic effect, practically capturing every essence of a summer tune in one song.

The album almost seems shocked by its capability to produce a tune that solid and it never really recovers afterwards. While numbers like “Make It Thru” and “Free” hold some merit in terms of enjoyability, much of the rest is just colorless. “Maybe This Time” may be exempt from this critique, since its uninspiring chorus highlights the bridge’s fist-pumping oomph, but “What Are You Waiting For?” and “Worn” sound too derivative to make any sort of impact (even if “Worn” is a heartfelt acoustic ballad).

Don’t get me wrong, everything sounds nice the first five listens or so, but then the mundane construction of some it starts grinding the mind, and before you know it, Qu is tossed out in favor of another album. It’s disappointing, because many of the lackluster tracks are brimming with potential but fail in the end.

Qu is really a continued learning step for Sherwood. They triumph in some spots, but they flop in others. In the end it’s all beneficial. What’s important to watch for is whether they will realize where they’ve erred. The continued progression is definitely a positive thing, though. Perhaps as they continue to take cues from the Beach Boys, they will climb closer and closer to the zenith of their potential. Every track from Qu considered, they’re not so far off even now.

--Matthew Tsai