It happened last night at approximately 11:58 p.m. I was driving home from a party, flipping through radio stations, when I hear Halo Stereo’s “Doorman” on 102.9 The Buzz. I felt like a proud parent, even though I am not related to Halo Stereo.
McCracken, Fry, Bryant and Hicks.
When I reviewed their self-titled EP last year, I offered a few words of advice as I usually do (whether it is ignored or appreciated doesn’t matter to me). I simply suggested that they crank the vocals, drums and bass. After the review was posted, I would receive messages from drummer Will McCracken with studio updates and how they were looking forward to getting the new material to me. I happened to catch their new MySpace display name HALO STEREO…NEW MUSIC one day, heard the new tracks and was blown away. I responded quickly with “they’re pretty badass.” That very night I saw them play at 12th and Porter, left with a copy of the new album and haven’t stopped listening to it since.
The Invisible War is a gigantic leap forward. Not only is it louder and crisper, the lyrics are smarter and the hooks are catchier. And I’m not alone in this. I’ve played bits of the album to a few music industry friends, and they’ve exclaimed the same compliments. One guy heard the first 30 seconds and said, "Okay, I like it. That's all I need to hear." Another guy heard the first half of “The Heart Is A Vacuum,” and replied, "That's a hit song!"
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The album begins with “Blindfold,” a booming and swaying achievement in aural architecture that bends into a raging splendor of angst. My favorite track is “The Heart Is A Vacuum”, maybe it’s because I’m a girl who likes love songs or maybe because it’s just a well executed piece that immediately gripped me. As much inspiration as the band draws from Muse and Smashing Pumpkins, “Doorman” recalls Tool and Alice In Chains. Early on, I picked this one to be their single and it looks as though they didn’t need my input, as it’s what The Buzz played. Another shining track on The Invisible War is "Respite In Ruins." The vocals and drums are, well, badass.
As much as I’d like to think they took my previous advice to heart and that I made a tiny indention in the story of one local band, (1) I’m not that modest and (2) I think the new guitarist Seth Bryant, Andrew Fry’s vocal strength with McCracken’s and bassist Jody Hicks’ ingenious rhythm abilities made this album. Live, they represent the album very well. If you were to see Fry on the street, you’d assume he doesn’t have all those lengthy screams in him, but you’d be wrong.