There must be something about the year 2000 that makes bands want to write songs for other bands to play. Maybe these bands are just happy the world didn't end as a result of the millennium bug and therefore are feeling generous.
Whatever the case might be, Metroschifter's Encapsulated is the second album this year, following the 6ths' Hyacinths and Thistles, with the premise that other bands would be doing all the work except actually writing the songs.
Metroschifter
Encapsulated
Doghouse Records
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Encapsulated is a Metroschifter album only in that frontman Scott Ritcher wrote all the songs.
The bands that were picked ranged from big name indie rockers such as The Get Up Kids and The Promise Ring to smaller, lesser-known bands such as Refused and Ink and Dagger. Each band brings its own style to each of the songs, making for a diverse group of tracks.
On "Impossible Outcomes," The Get Up Kids infuse the song with a jolt of their new-wave punk stylings, making it incredibly catchy. The Promise Ring layer distorted guitars upon memorable melodies on "You Are So Unreal." Ink and Dagger's "Actress" is filled with thrashing guitars that could show Limp Bizkit what true fury really is. Bands such as Elliott, Refused and Music Group bring down the volume and show the beauty of Ritcher's songs.
The only real disappointment on this album is Joan of Arc's monotonous "Forensic Economics." Of course, this isn't really Ritcher's fault. The only responsibility that he takes is the fact that he personally picked them to be on the album. It must have been naivete on his part to believe he could actually make Joan of Arc a listenable band.
While each of the bands have made these songs their own, the real hero of the album is Ritcher. Hopefully fans of the bands on this album will eventually support Ritcher and Metroschifter, pulling them out of the pit of obscurity. Ritcher's songwriting is insightful and affecting and deserves to be heard by a wider audience.
