BraveSaintSaturn
So Far From Home
Reviewed by David Muttillo
On the surface, BraveSaintSaturn appears to be Keith Hoerig, Reese Roper and Dennis Culp's best chance at rocketing light years away from their day job band, Five Iron Frenzy. Let's face it, the whole ska-core genre can be quite limiting, musically speaking. Nevertheless - though this semi-conceptual album isn't infused with happy-feet-beats, like most FIF material - the lion's share of its songs are from the easily recognizable pen of Roper. "Under Bridges," for example, is a vehicle for his socially conscious side, "Independence Day" is another boyfriend/girlfriend breakup song and "Shadow Of Def" (featuring a fun bit of rapping by 5MW head Frank Tate) showcases an always-present sense of humor. Even though these three space cadets are dressed in NASA travel garb, only a few of these songs actually address otherworldly travel directly, including "Space Robot 5" (which adds a spiritual element to David Bowie's song "Space Oddity") and a remake of Michael W. Smith's "Rocketown" (appropriate in this context).
There's more programming and keyboards on this release than you're likely to hear on any FIF project, but for the most part, these guys stick to earthy rock 'n' roll. While the creativity on this album doesn't quite reach to infinity and beyond, the large amount of talent fueling its engines ensures sky-high flight most of the time.