I am not quite sure why this 10-track album by This Wild Life ended up in my pile of stuff to review as it is so far removed from what we usually cover here at Eternal Terror Live that I simply feel a little out of my depth here in terms of describing and analyzing the album, but we shall give it a try, eh?

 

This Wild Life perform a strange blend of acoustic pop and alternative rock with an annoyingly prevalent emo-vibe to it that is, frankly speaking, unbearable to listen to. Nevertheless, there is a dreamy vibe of sorts to some of their songs and an awful lot of pop music sensibilities to the whole thing not to mention some exquisite and delicate guitar parts here and there, but is simply too saccharine for my taste. The production is impressively clean and crisp, but the fragile vocals, which I suppose are meant to evoke a moving, soothing, and pleasant mood, are too clichéd, stereotypical, and lightweight for their own good.

 

In case you were wondering, this has nothing to do with metal, hard rock, classic rock, or any of the other genres of music that we love and cherish, so I would wager that most of you out there will find this release utterly one-dimensional, predictable, and a total bore. "Petaluma" is devoid of any sense of edge, grit, and raw nerve, and it is neither beautiful nor haunting whatsoever. Rather, this is for fans and listeners who are into gentle and mellow modern-day pop/rock of the emo-variety. Unappealing and uninteresting stuff.

 

http://epitaph.com/artists/this-wild-life/