LOSING SCARLET is one of those musical head-scratchers around these parts. Performing regularly throughout Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin, this quartet falls into that catch-all pit known as modern rock, creating an array of unmemorable music that aims for the radio but misses by a mile. On their recently-released 8-song set LEARNING TO BLEED , the band delivers one of the year’s worst offerings thus far.
The title track gets things started by putting the record’s strongest effort up front, setting up the downhill slide to follow. The most coherent track from a songwriting standpoint, Learning to Bleed is about as paint-by-numbers as they come, bringing the overbearingly grating vocals to the top where they ride on a bed of sonic debris. On Shameless Prayer, the harmonic squeals are so horribly out-of-place that Zakk Wylde feels slighted and he probably hasn’t even heard the record. Kiss the Guilt away manages to soil a killer verse riff by punctuating it with gimmicky “Stop!” moments after wrapping it within an unnecessary drum/bass intro and tinny lead work. Dick Whiskey may be the finest example of LOSING SCARLET’s musical legacy in that they’ve managed to further solidify their amateur status by giving it a visual representation as evidenced by the music video below.
As a whole, there’s a disconnect between the band as if the entire unit lacks the heart and soul that should be planted firmly at the core of any good rock band. LEARNING TO BLEED is a very empty feeling record performed by a band that exudes cheese in everything they do.
Rating: 1/5
It wouldn’t be fair for me not to mention that LOSING SCARLET is a band that travels in some close circles around these parts, even performing with a band I manage back in February. They’re nice people and obviously well-intentioned, but unfortunately that does not a good band make.
