Scoti*Slate - Good NIght

Scoti*Slate

Good Night
Brightlife Music; 2014

3.4 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Who is Scoti*Slate? They are a band consisting of Aaron Scoti and Lars Slate and earlier this year released an album called Good Night. The good news is that the production on the record sounds top notch. It’s obvious that everyone from the engineers to the producers wanted to make a professional, commercially accessible album. That goal they achieved. You could imagine the songs on this album being on the playlist of your local FM station that rotates the same 15 songs. On one hand this album has a fair amount of douche rock that fans of Nickelback and Matchbox 20 could probably get down with. The good news is there is also a fair amount of tasteful rock ‘n roll that is worth a damn.

The album starts out with one of the better songs called “Good Fight,” which contains funky clean guitars, distorted bass, crashing drums and an undeniable 80’s vibe that shows itself during the chorus. It also explores a Franz Ferdinand type vibe that works. “Do Ya” isn't too shabby either. It is high octane energy fueled that goes a bit overboard at times but nonetheless might get you in the mood to chug a couple of more beers with guys before painting the town red. “Brightlife” is a straightforward rock song that turns into a techno song for about two seconds. There is also a scatting/rap part that comes out of nowhere. By the end of the song I was getting the feeling that it was trying to appeal to too many people.

“Little Head Fred” had great vocal harmonies and lyrics that sound as if they were written by  a sexually frustrated 18-year-old. They were actually pretty funny. He sings “Now that you're gone I don't need another Venus, I'll be alright on my own, I know you think that I think with my penis”. ”Fanatic” flirts with an 80’s hair metal vibe as the singer’s voice is manipulated with various effects while “What If” had some of the best guitar melodies on the album. The highlight of the album is “Magic Number.” Why someone has not told them that they sound more appealing singing in a higher octave or in a falsetto is beyond me. They bring pretty good funk during the chorus that fans of Daft Punk could get down with.

Most people will know within the first song or two if they will be down with this kind of rock. That being said there were a couple of nice surprises I wasn't expecting from the album.

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