Rotation

I have been a fan of the indie sensation Cute Is What We Aim For from day one. I loved them from the days when Fred was still in the band, when Shaant still had his flawless hair, and when Shaant sang “honey” as “honaaay” in the “Teasing to Please” demo. My love for them only grew when “The Same Old Blood Rush with a New Touch” was released in the summer of ’06, and it continued unabatedly even when their video for “There’s a Class for This” debuted on MTV. From the very beginning, I have believed in the abilities of this band, and I am proud to say that with the release of “Rotation”, my faith in them has only strengthened.

Though “Rotation” is a thoroughly enjoyable record, just like “Blood Rush”, it is quite a departure from the normal CIWWAF style. The most noticeable difference would have to be the ingenuity behind their lyrics. The lyrics on “Rotation” lack the cleverly worded innuendo and the witty one-liners that so brilliantly captured my heart in “Blood Rush”; the lyrics are instead very straightforward. Kiss the witticisms goodbye, and welcome the cheese. It’s not that all the lyrics on “Rotation” are awful, but a majority of the lyrics are so silly that I actually turned red, held my head in my hands, and sighed. The worst lyrics happen to belong to one of the catchiest tracks on the album, which is “Navigate Me”. In the chorus of “Navigate Me”, I kid you not, Shaant actually sings “Navigate me through your body”. I hope that Shaant means this in a very virgin way, as in he wants to navigate his way through my circulatory system. But if he means it in the other way, then that’s just…wrong. However, the less than perfect lyrics do not put too much of a damper on the album as a whole.

My favorite aspect of this album is how expertly produced it is. Shaant’s vocals sound absolutely spectacular, and all of the instruments and effects are magnificent. The production quality of this album is far superior to that of “Blood Rush”. “Blood Rush” sounds like it was recorded in someone’s basement, while “Rotation” sounds extremely professional. I am very impressed by the execution of this album, and for me, it is excellent enough to compensate for the somewhat lacking lyrics.

I believe that all of the tracks on “Rotation” are solid. The beginning track is “Practice Makes Perfect”, which is the first single off of the new album. If “Practice Makes Perfect” isn’t a good way to start off this album, then I don’t know what is. “Practice Makes Perfect” is great—the melody and lyrics are superb.

On a side note, I thought I’d mention that the music video for “Practice Makes Perfect” is rather entertaining. The setting of the music video is a party at which Tom smokes lots of pot in a bathroom (imaginary pot, I’m sure….I hope), Dave gets knocked out with just one punch, and Shaant finds a way to turn back time; it’s very reminiscent of the video for “Everything We Had” by The Academy Is.

“Doctor” and “Safe Ride” are the other two tracks that were released before “Rotation” actually came out in stores. Both tracks are excellent, and the same goes for tracks like “Loser”, “The Lock Down Denial”, and “Miss Sobriety”. “Hollywood” is a very unusual track, especially because it is nothing like CIWWAF. It sounds like a weird concoction of emo, Coldplay, and rap. That probably sounds like a bunch of nonsense, but listen to it and you will understand me completely. As I explained earlier, “Navigate Me” is a great track, albeit an awkward one, and “Do What You Do” and “Marriage to Millions” maintain the energy and quality of the album. My absolute favorite track off of “Rotation” is “Time”. I have never heard such a soft, emotional tone in Shaant’s voice before I heard this song. “Time” is perfect, beautiful, and brilliant; it is by far the most impressive track I’ve heard from my boys CIWWAF to date.

I have been anticipating “Rotation” since February of this year, and I was far from disappointed. Cute Is What We Aim For is a band that has been very close to my heart since middle school, and still is. I wholeheartedly love this band and I adore this album. It is evident by the changes made in the production of this album that CIWWAF is becoming a more mature, creative band. “Rotation” is a great album, and I believe that it is only a glimpse of the marvels to come from CIWWAF. Do yourself a favor and buy this album.