The White Jacket - 5000 Miles from High St.

[Aux-In]

I use Pandora as my streaming-music service, and it's been a boon when it comes to finding new electronic music. However, I can't, or at least haven't been able to, say the same thing when it comes to rock music; it's much harder for me to find stuff I like. Because it takes forever to find something new and interesting, I often feel like giving up looking for any of it. But every once in awhile, I am reminded of why I shouldn't.

The White Jacket - 5000 Miles from High St.


Genre: Hard Rock
Release Date: September 22, 2012

TRACKLISTING

1. Battle
2. Confessions
3. Rise of the Phoenix
4. Hold Your Ground
5. The Escape
6. Set If Off
7. New Beginnings
8. Sound
9. Let You Know
10. Evil Angel

On the front cover of the album, The White Jacket is pictured knee-deep in water, which might not make sense at first, unless you were to find out where they're from. As stated on their YouTube, they play mainly in the Honolulu/Hawaii live music scene. I had never heard of this band in my life until their song "Battle" came across my Pandora rock station and jolted me out of the tediousness and boredom of what I normally hear on there. Not knowing what to expect from the rest of the album, I ordered it on a whim, thinking that even if I didn't like anything else on the album, "Battle" would be worth the admission price alone.

1) “Battle”: The White Jacket wastes no time as they open up the album with “Battle,” and for a very, very good reason: this song has the best guitar riff and drum pattern that I have heard in modern-rock music in long time. The song is a perfect blend and proper balance of aggression, singing, rockin’, and just when you expect a verse-chorus-verse pattern, the middle of the song breaks off into a melodic humming tune. "Battle" is of-the-charts, holy-smokes awesome.

The White Jacket - "Battle"

*video content is NSFW*

At the time of this writing, it’s the only video on YouTube (and the official one) and it has barely over 6500 views??? A hidden treasure, indeed.

2) “Confessions”: Bass guitar starts off this song, then an electric guitar and vocals come in. This track’s not bad and has some great harmonies. Yeah, I can rock to this.

3) “Rise of the Phoenix”: Slower ballad that reaches Chris Daughtry territory. Here the band's Honolulu/Hawaii presence comes into play, as the song gives off a vibe similar to Sublime.

4) “Hold Your Ground”: Generic and boring midtempo rock.

5) “The Escape”: Similar Honolulu/Hawaii vibe. Filler song.

6) “Set It Off”: Sounds like a bar band, but it's an effort from a group of guys that make no apologies for enjoying playing in bars, which is refreshing.

7) “New Beginnings”: Slow, symphonic, acoustic song with a few parts that rock harder.

8) “Sound”: More of an ‘80s guitar riff. It’s too bad the song isn't more aggressive in the vocals and overall feel. But not bad.

9) “Let You Know”: Already sounds slow. Skipping.

10) “Evil Angel”: Solid hard rock.

SUMMATION

The impression I get from their material is that they are a group of guys that actually enjoy the music they're playing, which isn't always the case with a lot of other bands. My bro called the singer a third-rate singer, but I disagree. He’s at least B level, and I’m happy to hear a different vocalist in rock that doesn't sound like every…single…other modern metal/hard rock/indie rock singer that I have ever heard. "Battle" is top-shelf material, and I'd go so far as to say it is a must for any hard-rock fan thirsty for something relatively new. Unfortunately, the rest of the album is mediocre at best. I'm all for variety, but it is a pet peeve of mine when bands make about only two great rockin’ tracks, and 90% of the rest of the album is slow, draggy, normal radio-friendly unit shifters.

The hard copy of the album is manufactured by demand only (I got mine on Amazon), which is an indicator that the band doesn't have a lot of promotion, not even from themselves: a) the link to their Web site no longer works and b) their Twitter link no longer works. I'm left wondering, are they still playing together? Are they working on any new material?

Overall, while nothing else on the album matched the intensity of “Battle," I wasn't really expecting it to, and I'm still happy that I bought the CD; it's always enjoyable to support a relatively unknown band, particularly when their music brings a new appreciation to your collection. With that said, TWJ doesn't try to be something they're not, and for that I can tip my hat.