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ALBUM REVIEWS: September rocknworld.com July indie-music.com June smother.net May figgle.blogspot.com April indulged.com dailyvault.com February cybermidi.com 2004 ALBUM REVIEWS: November David Ross FAN REVIEWS: Fed 'Til We're Dead |
rocknworld.com Album: Fed 'Til We're Dead Reviewer: Jen Procop Published: September 2005 The Ten Pound Factor has been a labour of love for frontman Ryan Chisholm (who also plays all other instruments on the CD except drums) Like other indie bands, He had had little success in trying to secure a record deal. Chisholm did it his own way by initially releasing his own three track demo and through that experience, the ten pound factor was born. With brother Chris on drums, The Ten Pound Factor offers thirteen solid tracks on their debut full length release. Immediately, two things are obvious- the music is innovative and the lyrics are and insightful. Hints of the a "rockier" Beach Boys, Thrills and Oasis surface but the band find their uniqueness in the way they layer and blend various instruments including tamborines, keyboards, shakers, all of which are met with a heavy rock two guitar interplay. Sound interesting? It is. The blending of percussion and harmony really make each track unique but look for the best tracks on the CD in songs like "My Story", I'm here today and "Our Philosophy." Luckily, there is nothing one dimensional about the The Ten Pound Factor as they make excellent use of so many sounds, winding and weaving through a myriad of musical genres. For a good listen, pick this CD up- the The Ten Pound Factor is definitely worth its weight. 3.5 stars indie-music.com Album: Fed 'Til We're Dead Reviewer: Derek Blackmon Published: July 09, 2005 After first listening to Atlanta-based The Ten Pound Factor’s initial full length release, Fed ‘Til We’re Dead, I just assumed it was a full band, well-honed in their craft, that had slipped in under the radar. But this set of brothers, Ryan and Chris Chisholm, have taken the DIY approach and gone it alone. It’s a good thing too; these two sound like they’re doing well without any help from outsiders. Opening with back-to-back big guitar sounds and some upbeat, hopeful harmonies, “Our Philosophy” sounds like Primal Scream’s “Movin’ Up” fronted by Robbie Williams. And that’s not meant as an insult. “Mistakes” has the same steady roll of The Stone Roses’ “Standing Here.” With the exception of the aforementioned Williams, there is a real Mancunian influence at work here. The Stone Roses and Oasis are all over the place. As I am a huge fan of both, this came as a nice surprise. “Are You Rollin’?” has the acid-house feel of Definitely Maybe. This may be the “Cigarettes and Alcohol” of The Ten Pound Factor’s initial arsenal. With lyrics like “But everybody does it, the ecstasy ignites it, the Smoke gets into ya, the pleasure will convince you,” it’s easy to see this is more like an anthem to the rave-all-night-slacker lifestyle rather than something you might hear opening the Southern Baptist Convention. The title track left a bit to be desired. Once I was past the frightening expectation of Dennis DeYoung’s “Mr. Roboto” leaping from the keyboards, the guitars and drums became derivative, and it fell apart lyrically. The clean, psychedelic riffs of “How?” add to the dreamy happiness that a blotter of acid can save the world. Well, maybe not just one blotter, but 8 billion blotters, distributed evenly and followed by a fist-sized chunk of hash. Alas, this one is gone in barely two minutes, but the hope remains. The Chisholm boys create an airy delicacy with “Into Outer Space.” Acoustic guitars lift slowly over filtered vocals, and the drums thrust this one into a Champagne Supernova. This is the track that immediately struck me as great; the only thing it lacked was an extended solo of some sort. Fed ‘Til We’re Dead is a strong initial showing from a ostensibly talented set of brothers. Even among the heavy influences, there is a certain amount of originality. If this is what’s possible on a debut release, it’ll be nice to see what the future holds. Maybe with a few more albums under their belt, they can take the DIY approach to the masses and let them witness for themselves how demonic the industry can be when bands like this go unnoticed! smother.net Album: Fed 'Til We're Dead Reviewer: J-Sin Published: June 2005 Ironically titled or not, The Ten Pound Factor’s “Fed ‘til We’re Dead” is a magnified look at what can really be achieved when you sit down and write quality pop-rock songs. Deceptively powerful since it’s packaged with subtle hooks that reel you in like an addict walking by the methadone clinic, there’s a collection of songs for practically every emotion and every moment of life. Comprised mainly of singer/songwriter Ryan Chrisholm along with his brother Chris on drums, The Ten Pound Factor coaxes incredible song structures in a format that’s boringly dull with its standard chorus-verse-chorus composure. And while they don’t avoid that structure in reality, they give it a fresh new approach that pop so badly needs, though one might be confused as to whether he’s being ironic on “Are You Rollin’” with its seemingly pro-ecstasy banter or if he’s so tongue-in-cheek it’s pushing through his face. figgle.blogspot.com Album: Fed 'Til We're Dead Reviewer: Bruce Hartley Published: May 29, 2005 The Ten Pound Factor is two guys - Ryan and Chris Chisolm. Their site doesn't give much more info, but the lead track, "Our Philosophy," from their latest album is a psychedelic-in-a-Tears-For-Fears kinda way. Layered vocals and nice bass lines. Worth checking out. indulged.com Album: Fed 'Til We're Dead Reviewer: Andy Wirtanen Published: April 16, 2005 Atlanta-based rock band The Ten Pound Factor bring forth a straightforward rock sound. Harmonies are similar to Texas is the Reason, however The Ten Pound Factor is far from the emo/indie genre. The band is only comprised of two members led by Ryan Crisholm, who plays everything but drums on their 2004 effort , Fed 'Til We're Dead. Lyrics are simplistic and about life experiences in general, not fast cars and girls. dailyvault.com Album: Fed 'Til We're Dead Reviewer: Jason Warburg Published: April 15, 2005 From the first thrumming, pulsating, impossibly dense seconds of this album, you can tell The Ten Pound Factor is aiming to be just a little bit different. Imagine the drive and innate melodic sense of Cheap Trick matched with the lush, almost symphonic production of a Brian Wilson extravaganza and you'd be in the neighborhood. It's cotton-candy rock, bells and guitars and throbbing power-pop arrangements that open out into soaring vistas of sound. Calling The Ten Pound Factor a band would be a bit of a misnomer, though. The group consists entirely of Ryan Chisholm (vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, percussion, songwriting, engineering & production) and Chris Chisholm (drums). Thus the quality of the album pretty much rests on Ryan's shoulders — and that is the story of the rise and fall of The Ten Pound Factor. Bookending the album, the opening "Our Philosophy" matches up well with the closing "Sitting Up Tonight," a propulsive number whose muscular guitars and sweet melodies never let up. "Are You Rollin'" and "Into Outer Space" have strong moments as well, with drive to spare and entertaining dynamics. For all its surface appeal, though, this album suffers from a severe bout of — of all things — taking itself too seriously. The music and lyrics seem like mismatched cousins, buffed-out melodies paired up with lyrics that seem to have been cribbed from a series of second-rate self-help manuals. "Things are changing for me / I can feel it / Can you?" goes the close to "Now," though it isn't perhaps as cringe-worthy as "Where do I go / Where can I find meaning I don't know / Where can I find the reasons I search for / Where can I find feeling not alone." I don't know, but how about not calling me back until you get there, 'kay? This was the lyric that officially killed this album for me, though: "I know a place divided by culture / Both have much hate for one another / If they'd just come together to find a solution / And begin by using communication." The sentiment is worthy, but compared to a song that actually tries to grapple with the subtleties of these kinds of issues in a thoughtful, evocative way (see Bruce Springsteen's "Worlds Apart" off The Rising) this sounds like a rejected Hallmark card. (And the cadence when he sings "communication"… jeez. Let's just say matching a five-syllable word to a four-beat melody is the songwriter's equivalent of fingernails on a chalkboard.) Chisholm clearly wants to break out of the pack with this unlikely combination of thick, dreamy melodies and dime-store philosophizing, but the effect on these ears is jarring. Disconnecting music from storytelling, and substituting platitudes for characters and situations, feels to me like an artistic dead end. To be fair, Fed 'Til We're Dead *sounds* great, and suggests that Ryan Chisholm has much potential as a player, arranger and producer. It's the words, man… it's the words. RATING: C © 2005 Jason Warburg and "The Daily Vault." All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of the record label, and is used for informational purposes only. cybermidi.com Album: Fed 'Til We're Dead Published: February 27, 2005 We receive a lot of material for review, but were quite impressed with this one. The melodies were pleasing enough to satify our musical cravings. While some may find influences from the "glam rock" era of the 80's, we can take it back even further to groups like City Boy, Be Bop Deluxe and similiar late 70 rock groups. Like the old Prego commercial says, it's all in there. CYBERMIDI Entertainment Network. Copyright © 2005 CYBERMIDI.com amazon.com DELIVERING THE GOODS Album: Fed 'Til We're Dead Reviewer: David Ross Published: November 16, 2004 Any singer/songwriter who comes along with the message that life is precious and that every moment should be savored had better have some songs that are worth listening to. Fed `Til We're Dead, the debut full-length CD from The Ten Pound Factor, has the goods to back up the message. The Ten Pound Factor is the current project from singer/songwriter Ryan Chisholm and brother/drummer Chris. The vocal and guitar harmonies pleasantly recall The Byrds and Boston, interestingly about the only two rock bands to write great songs about being rock bands. There's no song about that subject on Fed, nor are there any songs about lost loves, another welcome departure. Chisholm proves — and sings — loud and clear that even power ballads can be written about more than this tired subject. He also proves that he can write more than ballads, with plenty of hooks, bridges, and solos to reintroduce a healthy dose of rock into pop-rock. The lyrics are as reassuring as the music is assured. Ryan gives the narrators of his songs an authentic voice. He understands that by telling his own story, sincerely and simply, he will connect with the listener's own story. The result is that whether the song called "My Story" is autobiographical becomes secondary. The songs, like those of The Alarm, become sources of candor and comfort that the listener can use to start thinking about where his or her own life has gone, and where it can go. I have found listening to this CD to be an enjoyable and nourishing artistic experience. (Trust me, that previous sentence is more pretentious than anything on Fed `Til We're Dead.) Maybe Ryan will never write a song about friendship, either (another tough one — see anyone since Carole King). But there's enough empathy, reliability, and optimism in the words and music of The Ten Pound Factor to tide you over until one of your own friends is on the other end of the phone. 3 out of 5 stars FAN REVIEWS amazon.com MUST BUY!! Album: Fed 'Til We're Dead Reviewer: Richard Fortunato Published: December 7, 2004 This is an excellent lesson in what enormous talent and dedication will yiedl. "Fed 'Til We're Dead" is an original CD written, played, and designed by Ryan Chisholm, professionally mixed and recorded by both studio guru's and himself. Complex, yet clear rhthyms and diverse tunes run throughout the album making it easy listening whether at home relaxing or needing a charge at the gym. You're easily pulled in with the intro hit "Our Philosophy" and hooked on the catchy compositions "Mistakes" and "Fed 'Til We're Dead." A must buy album for all music fans, especially original artists! Can't wait for his follow-up album! 4 out of 5 stars cdbaby.com EXCITING SOUND WITH MEANING. Album: Fed 'Til We're Dead Reviewer: Tom Fantastic. Depth in lyrics and catchy guitar riffs sink their claws in you and before you know it the album is done! Perfect music for any occasion and people of all ages, same feel as The Dave Matthew's band and U2. cdbaby.com IT ROCKS AND ITS FUNKY! Album: Fed 'Til We're Dead Reviewer: Mac This is the best one yet. The lyrics are tight. The
music is tight. It's a unique sound. There is some weird
funky stuff and stuff that just rocks. I like that,
keep it coming.
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