Lynam Tragic City Symphony
by John Kindred
Staff Writer
Lynam, which was formed in ’01, have released three CDs without the support of a label and one CD with DRI/Universal. The band has released their first album on Mascot Records, Tragic City Symphony. Comprised of Jacob, David and Mark Lynam (are they brothers?), the trio has a mainstream pop-rock sound heavy with melodic overtones and crunchy guitars.
Tragic City Symphony features 13 songs. Opening the CD with “Is This A Heartbreak or a Loaded Gun,” the band bursts out of the gate with plenty of energy. Like the band Hinder, the ‘80s metal influence runs rampant throughout Lynam songs. Mark Lynam has a pleasant voice that has a touch of grit with mostly a clean vocal deliver. “Is This a Heartbreak or a Loaded Gun?” has a huge hook-filled chorus, a guitar solo using a talk box effect and plenty of attitude. When “Enemy” starts, you kind of think of Green Day’s recent hit song “Sleeping with the Enemy.” But this song is way better as the band doesn’t repeat the fucking chorus through the whole song like Green Day does. Again, a prominent and feisty solo gets embedded in this fun song.
“Lindsay Says” opens with a heavy guitar rhythm, counter balanced by an arpeggiated clean guitar melody. Again, the band plays it up with huge vocals that make the song full, arena rock-style. Everything slows down when the piano ballad “Just Anything” starts. It is a quiet song until the band punches in for the chorus. From there, the musical accompaniment embellishes on the piano melody. The band gets back to heavier riffs on “Save My Soul.” Mixing in a bit of industrial influence during the verse the song continues to highlight the lavish vocal structures. The song has a sing-along chorus.
“Porn Star” finds the band pushing lyrical debauchery. It’s a catchy two-minute excursion. “Can’t Do Anything” gets back harder edge riffs. “If You Leave” slows the tempo down again with another emotional number. The song follows the typical power ballad formula. Nothing new here, but it is a good song just the same. “Make It Alright” features the guitar riff up front and in your face. This is a grooving song and is a bit punchier than previous harder-edged songs. “White Trash Superstar” opens with banjo plucking before the guitars enter the fray. Lyrically poking fun at somebody, the song features a blazing guitar solo along with banjo fills here and there.
“A Million Ways” slows the pace down yet again with Mark Lynam singing over an acoustic guitar rhythm. About a minute into the song, the rest of the band joins him for the chorus. This is another typical rock ballad. “Suffer” features an emotional vocal melody, with very cool background harmonies. “Get Me Off,” the final song and bonus track on this release, closes the CD. It’s another energetic song. With a fast-paced tempo and catchy vocals, the band finishes the way they started; albeit with a rude lyrical chorus.
Lynam deliver a very polished release, which lyrically isn’t overly serious. They play it smart by keeping the songs short and not losing the listener’s interest. Obviously, they are not reinventing the wheel, but they certainly know the rules when writing catchy rock songs.
Label: Mascot Records
Band:
Jacob Lynam (vocals, guitar, banjo, mandolin, violin, piano, keyboards)
David Lynam (vocals, drums)
Mark Lynam (vocals)
Track Listing:
1. Is This a Heartbreak or a Loaded Gun?
2. Enemy
3. Lindsay Says
4. Just Say Anything
5. Save My Soul
6. Porn Star
7. Cant Do Anything
8. If You Leave
9. Make It Alright
10. White Trash Superstar
11. A Million Ways
12. Suffer
13. Get Me Off
Hardrock Haven rating: 8/10