The Airborne Toxic Event- 'The Airborne Toxic Event'

Mikel Jollet, lead singer with TATE, is an interesting man. Starting life as a novel writer he decided, after a series of tragic events, to start his own rock band and tour the world writing kick ass songs. In essence it's the premise of a great movie but is it the basis of a great band?

Well no not really. You can't help feeling that Jollet has spent too much time out of music theorising about what his dream band would be if he ever formed it, allowing too many styles and influences to seep into his psyche. This has led to a hotch potch of an album that sounds like it wants to be a thousand things it isn't.

You might already be aware of 'Sometime Around Midnight' or last years 'I Guess This Means You're Moving On'. Both of which must have given MOJO a raging hard on but have done little to excite people wanting the sound of 2009. Much of the eponymous LP rotates between those two songs style- the rootin' tootin' bar brawl smash and the resentful whiskey breath ballads. It has to be said the bands strength lies in the heavy rock numbers with 'Gasoline' and 'Innocence' not sounding too bad.

However much of the rest slips between forgettable and awful. How 'Somewhere Around Midnight' has got onto day time radio I will never know, it sounds like a substitute teacher having a breakdown.

Sometimes you can over think rock music, The Airborne Toxic Event are perfect examples of that.

4/10

The Airborne Toxic Event- 'The Airborne Toxic Event'