Customer Reviews

Mouth Full of Nails

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4 star:		(1)
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Gretchen is one of those bands that can really surprise you on one song but be completely forgettable on the next. I enjoy them but I find that I can't sit through an entire CD without wanting to skip a track or two. Sure Mia has a good voice but she doesn't have the range a few songs call for and that makes the outcome a bit bland sometimes. Then there's the band. They're actually pretty good churning out a few good riffs and even a surprising couple solos, but they also ruin a couple songs. So the blame can go both ways.

I don't really see where all this 'goth' talk comes from though, I hardly consider this goth. There are a few moments where they are pretty dark in their delivery but more times than not it's just upbeat hard rock (even poppy sometimes). As for the lyrics, well they're not terrible but they're not amazing either. Some songs come across as far too preachy and others come across as just plain pathetic.

Gretchen's best moments come through best on songs like Trophy, Diamonds, Desire, See Me Hear Me, and Inclined. Mia sounds the most sure of herself in these tracks as does the band. However, even though Mia sounds sure of herself in Star, White Wedding, h2p, and Mouth Full Of Nails, things don't work out in her favor so much thanks to the uninspired beats the band puts forth. That's a problem I'm sure will work itself out on further releases though. On Mouth Full Of Nails it's a persistent problem that plagues the entire record dragging down the outcome significantly.

My favorite songs are Trophy, Diamonds, Desire, See Me Hear Me, and Inclined. Gretchen has a lot of potential. Mia is a completely competent vocalist and Dave and Stephen on guitar and drums respectively, are pretty good as well. If they continue to toy with their sound and find something that truly suits them, they'll be fine. Be on the lookout for future releases from Gretchen cause it won't surprise me a bit if they only get better.

I got Gretchen's second CD before I got their debut (this one). So, I may not be the best judge here. However, I am an avid music listener, so here goes...
1. Trophy 3/5 I would've started the CD with something that had more of a kick and a bang. This sounded too droney to be an opener.
2. Ordinary Girl 5/5 I LOVE this song! It has a great message, great sound, great lyrics, great whatever...
3. Star 3/5 Verses sound...unusual...and chorus sounds typical to what you'd expect from any other female fronted band. Ah, well.
4. Diamonds 5/5 This song is wonderful. It's about Christ's relationship to us and how he will "take our tears and turn them all to diamonds" for us.
5. White Wedding 4/5 Not my favorite song on the CD, but it was pretty courageous of them to do a remake of a Billy Idol song.
6. Mr. Nothing 3/5 Mia Richards--only goth girl who can get away with la-la-la-ing. Still, decent song.
7. Desire 4/5 I liked it better after the first listening.
8. H2P 5/5 A really fun, fast song. (BTW, H2P stands for "Hell to pay")
9. Waste 5/5 Reminscent of some song I've heard sometime during my life, cannot put my finger on it...anywho, this is an awesome song. It's about living life to the fullest and not getting caught up in the things of this world.
10. See me, Hear me 3/5 Mia Richards--fastest singer in the world, next to guy who plays the General in "Pirates of Penzance".
11. Inclined 5/5 Reminds me of the music in "Jesus Christ Superstar". This is a beautiful song about Christ's sacrifice for us and how many of us do not take the time to call on him daily.
12. Nevermind 4/5 Depressing, in a way. Still, interesting lyrics and droney, retro sound make it a great song to drive to.
13. Mouth Full of Nails 5/5 SO FREAKIN' AWESOME!!!!!! It has great lyrics, great sound, and it's fast.