By Deuce

It’s a wonder what a good hook can do for a song, a beat, and/or the instrumentalism adorning the tracks.

Any skeptics need look no further than “False Start”, one of the latest releases from your man Retrosaint. There’s just something about the way he pronounces those two words or, rather, phrases them, that sounds so right each time he does. The melody is palatable, the music opens up for it, and each time he hits that refrain, it just seems to lift the mood of the entire song, giving him something suspiciously resembling a hit record.

Now granted, Retrosaint’s not coming completely out of left field when he belts out that hook. The tune’s got a nice blend of acoustic guitar—that of the sparkling, glowing variety, the kind that shimmers in the distance or in the sunset—and electric guitar. The latter sometimes sounds tubed, bending and genuflecting as it does during the first few opening measures. At other moments, especially as the song works its way to the denouement of this nearly five-minute affair, it takes over as Retrosaint loses the cool characterizing the chorus and really gets to wailing behind the mic.

But, there’s also a pleasant, crisp tempo buttressing all of the above. Plus, Retro’s not a bad lyricist by any means. Money’s depicting the white moonbeams reflecting on the beach, and getting almost theatrical with the vividness of his lyrical offerings.

The drumming is one of the pleasures on this outing. Manned by Jonny Lutz (who also handles the electric guitars, drums, and bass), the drumming really accelerates after the guitar solo, adding to the overall frenzied feel or appeal it seems that Retrosaint was going for.

Moreover, to Lutz’s credit, he’s not one to sit back on his haunches. The progressions on this piece are fairly swift, and typically involve the drums and the bass. Sometimes it’s the former that suddenly shifts into double time with that tried and true four-on-the-floor drum pattern. During other moments it’s the bass mimicking that same rhythm. Nonetheless, these outbursts typically don’t last for more than a couple bars before the song shifts from verse to hook or to lead, or to some other passage.

It all makes for quite the listening experience and a solid effort from Retrosaint.