Sinomatic

The one thing Sinomatic is guilty of on its first record is that it wants to rock. The problem is that the band's not sure how exactly to do it.\nWhile songs like "Leave Me Tomorrow" and "What Love Is" show a beautiful musical direction the band should follow in the future, too much of the album is dedicated to finding that musical identity. The song "Candy Skin," for example, has a definite Third Eye Blind influence, and while that might not necessarily be a bad thing, it is an awkward fit for the rest of the album. And the next track, "Tell a Lie," continues in the Goo Goo Dolls style of rock music, which is disappointing because there is good music on this record that could be overshadowed by these "chart friendly" songs.\nIn a Three Fish style of worldly, ambient music, Sinomatic expands from its rock roots. Yet, it does not take that experimental style far enough. Instead, it devotes too much of the album to the present-day style of rock music, a washed-out version of the genius of yesterday bands. And, in essence, it takes away from the beautiful experimentation at the core of this record. \nSinomatic would be a fantastic opening act at this point in time: not quite good enough to play a full set, but the band could rock for 30 minutes. The appeal of songs like "Feel Alive" and "My Time" would almost make concertgoers forget about the band they were really there to see.\nAt some point, Sinomatic will get its shot. There is too much in this album for the band not to get a good shot at making it. It is not trying to hold onto a nonexistent musical movement, but instead it is creating its own niche in the music scene. But like many bands' first albums, it is filled with too much of the bands' influences and not enough of the originality that could make this band special. The originality is there. You just have to look closely to see it. \nBecause of the current state of music on the radio, listeners will have to discover why this album is so special on their own. Which is a shame. A band like this, with an enormous pool of talent and potential, will be ignored for another rap-rock tandem. But Sinomatic will be big one day. If not, the world will miss a ton of good music.