Keltie Colleen’s Review of The Cab’s ‘Symphony Soldier’

I got an advanced copy of The Cab’s new record (which is being released tomorrow) mainly because my swoon is their manager and they are my friends. I’ve read some of the other reviews of the record that are all fancy and technical. But, I thought I would go through the record track by track and tell you what I think, from the eye’s of a fan. I am excited to know if anyone agrees with me, I guess I will find out in less than 24 hours!

Angel With A Shotgun– When I first heard the demo of this song, I thought that this song was dumb. Shotguns make me think of dudes shooting squirrels on the forest in Canada where I grew up. But, the more I played it the more it got stuck in my head and one day I found myself singing it in the shower. Well played shotgun song.

Temporary Bliss– Although it is hard to believe that there is a dude in the world who doesn’t enjoy one night stands, this is one of my favorite songs on the record. Reminds me of old school Maroon 5. When Alex growls into the first “I come over” it is very apparent that this song is going to be pure sex rock. My favorite.

Bad– What can I say. The moment I heard this song I knew that this would be single that “broke” The Cab. It sounds so different than the rest of the techno-auto-tuned junk that a large majority of the radio plays, and has me singing “I want a bad girl baby yeah” randomly throughout the day. I think this song perfectly showcases Alex’s voice. I am thrilled that this song is already in the top 50 on radio! Having The Cab & Christina Perri take over the radio with songs that are totally original and fresh in one year is pretty amazing.

Endlessly– One night in Malibu Swoon took me out to dinner and on the way home driving beside the ocean with the windows down played me the demo of Endlessly. I cried my eyes out when I heard it. I know I am not alone that this song makes me simultaneously fall in love with love and reminds me of Bruno mars, I guess thats because he co-wrote it. Either way, I am pretty sure many couples will soon call this song “theirs” and perhaps Debby Ryan, who I am convinced was the inspiration for said song will fall in love with Alex. Debby Deleon has a nice ring right?

Animal– Personally I hate when people refer to themselves as an “animal” makes me think about the muppets. Do I like this song? Sure, do I like the thought of Alex who is basically my kid brother growling and pawing at girls, not so much. Another Me– Good luck finding another me. I feel like this is the sister song to “Since You’ve Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson. The giant, “I am still totally in love with you but I am going to pretend that my heart is not in pieces on the floor, and act cool, calm and collected and talk about how I deserve the stars and that you will never find someone like me ever again and how RELIEVED I am that we broke up, when really I am a heartbroken disaster.” song. I like this song. I am this song. Intoxicated– I don’t know whether to make out or take a shot, but in any case, this is one of the best songs on the record. La La– Another favorite song. When I listen this song I am like a proud mama. It shows the amazing talent of Alex + Alex as a vocal + writing team. This is pop perfected. I love when bands give me bad news while singing pretty melodies. la la la la I’m lying. Skip, skip, skip. I’m cheating on you. La la la don’t trust me. hee hee. You are a fool! weeeeeee!!!Lovesick Fool– This is the best song on this record. Even better live. I can’t say enough about this song. It’s perfect. It’s classic. I could put it on a mix cd with all my favorite songs and listen to it on repeat. Best lyric on the record “When I said I wish you the best- I was lying” Been there. Done that.

Grow Up and Be Kids– I don’t like this song. I don’t get it. Why would I want to grow up and be a kid. When I was a kid I had acne and a 1986 mazda protege. Life wasn’t really that good. I’d rather grow up and be Giselle. Just sayin’ Living Louder– The surprise of the record. You listen to this song and you think, this is cheesy and the all of a sudden you get really excited to be alive and start running around your house fist pumping and doing push-ups. I go to a place in my mind where I see montages of finishing marathons, curing cancer and walking on the moon. This song makes me feel lucky to be alive. Very inspiring. I wasn’t expecting this. Nice one boys, nice one.

Love Is My Religion– This is a good song. This is an even better tank top. I’m not saying I am wearing their merch right now, but I might be wearing their merch right now.

Basically, The music business works like this, a label will listen to the radio and see what is making them money, then they will try to replicate it over and over again. If I had a penny for all the times I have heard “We need another Bruno Mars” “We need the next Katy Perry” in my life I would have 5 bucks. Sometimes, some freak musical accident will happen (for instance Christina and “Jar of hearts” and then someone in the music business will run around saying “We need the next Christina Perri.”) We all have to remember that it’s the music business and business men are in it to make money and artists are in it to make art. I think what The Cab did was incredibly brave, and maybe one day someone will tell the whole story. If you guys only knew what it takes to leave a label and make a record on your own. I’ve seen it first hand because I am pretty sure swoon hasn’t slept in 4 months. Combined with an amazing support team, their awesome families and a few people who still really believed in them they have released a record on their own that is gaining heat everyday. I can’t imagine what the people who gave up on them feel like when they look at the charts and itunes and see that big BAD name on the list. It makes me so proud. I love an underdog.

Overall, I think The Cab got it right, They stayed true to what they do best and for ONCE were not trying to please a million people who were trying to fit them in a mold. They made a record that sounds like THEM. A band with a pop singer who simultaneously loves Rock N Roll but secretly wants to be Justin Timberlake. A band who listens to Maroon 5 and parties with the Warped Tour crowd but secretly has a Justin Beiber crush. You will love this record, and I am convinced that all the people who were not CAB fans prior to this, will soon be singing their prasies.

Are you guys excited for SS?