The Monster In Us is a band of young cats with a reputation in the current post-punk music world, but ultimately need some fine-tuning in their vocals. With evident influences by current rock bands such as Jimmy Eat World and Linkin Park’s older material, their sound is carried by a double-bass drumbeat and chunky guitar sounds, yet the contrast with their vocals leaves something to be desired. While their musicianship is excellent, especially the drums, their sound doesn’t quite come together. With just a few tweaks and more time on stage and in the studio, they could emerge as another hot group from SoCal.

Their first song, “Jacob’s Ladder,” creeps up in a somber tone with a nice chord change highlighting some chant-like vocals. The guitar work is reminiscent of the softer side of System of a Down, but even Serj Tankian’s powerful voice could not have saved this song. Other tunes offer a nice change of pace with drum-n-bass riffs and meter play, the vocals showing improvement with effective backing and an occasional violent rant. “Black and White Movies,” however, is possibly their best number. Red Jumpsuit Apparatus comes to mind, with a light drum display. Chester Pennington’s influence is also obvious here, with some screaming that actually plays well into the overall sound.

Their last song, “Light Your Dark," starts out at a frantic pace but once again is tempered with vocals that seem out of place for this tempo, except when screaming is involved. This is definitely their most hardcore song, well-executed and exciting.

With numerous moments of hard-rock clarity, The Monster In Us can stand their ground with any of the acts that have been rocking ‘tweens in recent years. While the singer might have to sacrifice his voice box, it would serve them well to emphasize the screamo sound and let go of the softer tones.

Practice sessions for El Monte-based Eenik can’t be fun. No way, no how. Thankfully for the viewing public, their extraordinary musicianship leaves us panting for more of their complex intensity.

With that said, these guys are freakin’ sharp. Immediate references to Tool and even Asian-tinged strings in “Passive Attack” make for a beautiful respite from the current trend of garage grunge and power chord simplicity. They even throw in a bit of Death Metal growling, if for just a second, before the guitar solo climbs and melds perfectly into the chorus.

               

“FM for Spearmint Children,” their most mellow song (if you can call it mellow), starts off in a tame mood, highlights some masterful bass work, and builds into Incubus-influenced drumming. Also on display in this tune is some great production work, with timely synth and vocal effects throughout.

The members of Eenik may not like this next comparison, but the third track on their myspace, “Lazerblasts and Lace,” reminded me of “From Your Mouth,” an electro-pop song from the late ‘90s by God Lives Underwater. There’s no doubt that musicians of Eenik’s caliber didn’t mean to sound like this act but. as consolation, the vocals sounded very similar to those on Mudvayne’s “Happy?” And again, the synth work was excellent.

Eenik is anything but static, spanning technicality a la Rush. ‘80s synth stylings with top-notch bass and vocals make for an all-around solid sound. They are definitely worth a listen, at one of their many shows in SoCal or on their website, which offers multiple videos and tracks.

Rating: 5/11

It's almost perfect that World Disappears opening track begins with a radio dial scanning through static. Usually when a band utilizes this device, it's solely to gain the attention of the listener (ex: The All American Rejects' "The Last Song").  However, Bridgework wants to transport their listeners to a simpler time in music, an era without iPods and Satellite radio. Welcome to the 1990s.

The quartet's five-track EP pays homage to bands like The Gin Blossoms, The Tragically Hip and Descendents. The group integrates classic rock melodies with socially voyeuristic lyrics. While track titles like "Jumping Off the High Bridge" and "Nothing Left" evoke today's emo-standards, Bridgework leaves the listener with a sense of comfort in their distressing lyrics: "And looking up I see the world disappear. The light fades and I explore the deep to find myself, to find my place." This band doesn't have to scream or growl about tragedy; they simply accept it. Bridgework's straightforward sound mimics that of Saves the Day, and even lead singer/guitarist John Renaud's vocal range brings to mind that of Chris Conley.

There isn't anything particularly special about World Disappears. It's an album that just simply exists. However, it will be interesting to see how Bridgework's sound develops with their forthcoming EP. Will they grow together as a band and take their sound to the next level, or will they continue to sing songs of a previous decade?

As Bridgework records, they plan on scheduling a few shows in the upcoming months. However, John Renaud (singer/guitarist) will be playing a solo acoustic show on March 8^th in Venice. Please visit the band's myspace page for more details.