Review
Hybrid Child, from my point of view, is rather unusual for a progressive rock record, even by the nebulous, genre-hopping standards of the last decade. At times it sounds like someone's populist attempt to bring classic Yes and progressive metal influences into Avril Lavigne territory. At other times it feels like the other way around: an instrumentally-adept pop band who want to dive into more substantial territory in an era where everyone is content at gawking at Adele's album sales as some indicator of talent.
Whatever your interpretation, these guys have an identity that could propel them to larger audiences than your typical young prog group. At the album's best, such as the propulsive 'I Can't Take You With Me', 2007 American Idol finalist Leslie Hunt exercises quite a bit of range and flexibility behind the mic, particularly in the bridges. A clever time signature, sprinkled with some clever keyboard hooks, a nice thudding bass and some cello, demonstrates these guys at their best...and their best is really, really interesting to say the least.
'Termites', the weakest track on the album structurally, gives a bit of insight into the band's roots as an instrumental group along the lines of Planet X or Liquid Tension Experiment. It wheedles, wanks and even thrashes a bit with Leslie following suit. Not horrible by any means, and it's grown on me a lot since I first picked this record up a year or so ago, but it doesn't work as well as the other songs here.
'Mindscan', the big 20+ minute suite, is probably the strongest song overall if taken from start to finish. They pull every stop here, sprinkles the interludes with a lot of gorgeous piano and keyboard soundscaping, and the alien abduction story told throughout is entertaining -- almost like something Floyd might pull under different circumstances.
Keep in mind, ladies and gents, that District 97 are a very young band, barely out of college yet bursting forth with all sorts of ideas. That they managed to craft an album this good at all is quite extraordinary, and it really makes one look forward to their next LP, Trouble With Machines, which is due out very soon now.
8/10
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