CD Review: 1UP - Illscarlett

For those who are comforted by things that are familiar, Illscarlett fans will be happy with the band’s brand new album 1UP!

Although there was new music and new lyrics, the overall sound of the band has stayed the same as heard on 2007’s All Day With It and 2006’s EPdemic EP. In that fact I was happy to hear that they stayed true to themselves, I was a little bored sometimes and found myself either fast-forwarding through a song or skipping entirely.
The reggae beats that are so familiar to their sound intertwines through the whole album mixed with a solid drumbeat, steady voices and acoustic guitars. It’s their familiarity that brought me to listen to their new album but also had me tuning them out, to a certain degree.
Their opening track and single “Take it for Granted” is a song I seem to have heard more than once these days, which isn’t good for a band whose set on setting themselves apart from the rest. But nonetheless I moved to the beat and would find myself singing the chorus hours later.

“Funky Rep.” and “Milkshakes and Razorblades” are definitely dance worthy and as a person who enjoys the slower songs, appreciated the tracks “Sorry”, “Can’t Sleep”, and “Freezing”. I think I’ve always been keen on any song that uses an acoustic guitar as an instrument of choice.
This Mississauga, Ont. band co-produced their new album with Grammy Award-winning producer Robert Carranza (Bjork) in Los Angeles after working on All Day With It in the same city with producer Matthew Wilder (No Doubt, Natalie Imbruglia).
Let’s hope that with IllScarlett’s meaningful lyrics and funky tunes will keep the loyal fans satisfied and new ones knocking on their door and buying their album.
1UP! can be found on itunes and in stores across Canada.
to get more info on Illscarlett please visit: http://www.myspace.com/illscarlett
♫♫♫ (out of five)
Written by: Taryn McElheran
(Originally posted on Nov 15, 2009 at www.sugarcainentertainment.com)

photo courtesy of Sony Music Canada