Sit and listen to 'em by myself

Songs For Singles - Torche (2010)

The band is tight, the music loud, but there is also an element of fun on Songs For Singles, beginning right with its double-edged title. While nothing here overtly suggests this collection of songs is better suited to the lonely or solitary, they are, however, short and radio friendly. Well, to a hard rock station, anyway. But the songs generally stick to less than the three-and-a-half minute radio breaking point. As a matter of fact, only the last two songs run any longer than 2:17.

The songs are bite-sized portions of massively heavy riffs, one flowing effortlessly into another. It has the illusory effect of casting an album full of little songs into one twenty-two minute epic.

Singles opens with "U.F.O.", (82/100), a rumbling behemoth which somehow incorporates all its raw energy and fury into one minute and fifty-three seconds. The song first appeared in demo form on Phoning It In: A Hydra Head Digital Sampler (2010), adopting the squeals, grunts and otherwise enthusiastic vocalizations of David Lee Roth from Van Halen's 1978 "Runnin' With The Devil". While having an odd charm and even an unexpected appropriateness to it, Steve Brooks' vocals on the album version transfer the song to the more disenchanted 2010s, with the music sounding even bigger.

"Lay Low", (78), is the album's shortest number, clocking in at fifty-one intense seconds. The guitar is sharp and lots of cymbal is employed. Similar to something by a band like The Sword, for example, this song magnifies big noise without ever losing control of its melody.

With all this rampant aggression, perhaps Torche's greatest accomplishment on the album is somehow mitigating the rough edges by their smooth playing. Make no mistake, these songs are fast and boisterous. Volume is not spared, nor passion sacrificed. The music gains power by precision but without overpowering and destroying its own listeners.

One example of this is a great guitar solo on "Hideaway", (82), the second part of which, around 1:09, manages to produce a nice screech that does not deteriorate into annoyance. The song's entirety lasts only two seconds more than two minutes, but again, packs a punch its size belies.

Another example is the blunt, imposing beat that beckons war as "Arrowhead", (85), begins. When the vocals and guitars enter with an ardour that could incite armies into final combat, the threat does not extend to listeners. Of course, any battle with this song as its cry would have to conclude within 2:17, anyway.

A recurring screech almost becomes a chorus in the first part of "Shine On My Old Ways", (87). Astonishingly, three distinct sections are evident in a song twelve seconds shy of two minutes. The screechy intro gives way to what must constitute a bridge around :50, before riding a drum-heavy feedback-fired instrumental from 1:20 to its finish. Again, the result is invigorating as opposed to irritating.

"Cast Into Unknown", (85), is the last of the particularly short numbers, accomplishing all its rocking in 2:11. The guitars are really charged here, featuring another outstanding long (relatively speaking) solo and extended power-chord fadeout.

Then, finally breaking the three-minute barrier is "Face The Wall", (90), a deliberate trudge pushed by a hefty double-beat spurred by ever-encroaching guitars. Taking its sweet time, this leisurely (again, relatively speaking) rocker easily executes its four-and-a-half minutes. It actually seems too soon when it collapses and closes in its own feedback frenzy.

After all this, with its six minutes and ten seconds, "Out Again", (92), (http://www.mediafire.com/?72u42rycqzo2t5s), is palpably epic. The song's two verses and choruses are finished by 1:30, which leaves the remainder of the song a colossal coda. Settling into a hypnotic groove which lasts longer than any other complete song on the album, the band showcases its prowess one final time, crafting an infectious riff and a storm of elation around it.

One never really gets a chance to get very comfortable or catch their breath on this fast and furious album, but that does not discredit Songs For Singles in any way. There is certainly nothing wrong with brevity and straight-to-the-point feels refreshing in a long-winded world. Probably not an album to doze into sleep with, but as a rock workout, it is hard to match.

Songs For Singles (album): 85/100.