CD REVIEW: The Ready Aim Fire!

Listening to The Ready Aim Fire!'s new album Strong Enough is like listening to a friend talk about her problems.  Maybe she's falling into debt, her love life is non-existent and her dog just died. It could be the best day of your life, and she'd still send you racing for a thereputic pint of Ben & Jerry's.

The Ready Aim Fire!'s MySpace page  describes the band as a blend of indie, rock and electronica. They should just cozy up to emotronica, the genre describes its  sound perfectly.

Dave Trautz is undeniably talented. The lead singer wrote all of the music for The Ready Aim Fire!'s this the band's first full-length album. He's also the sole lyricist. The album has continuity, but it lacks enough variety to stay interesting through all 13 songs. Trautz also seems to harp on a few themes, including a lover's clothes on the floor, death, drugs and getting caught by the police.

For the most part, Strong Enough is an album of sad songs and good beats. The few exceptions really grabbed my attention.

Two of the most upbeat and positive songs on the album were also my favorites. "Skip Town" and "LA" best incorporated the band's chosen genres, and they're at the beginning of the album, probably to get you through at least half of the songs before you completely fall apart. 

"Escape Artist" follows "LA" in more than just placement on the album. The two songs sound so similar that I had to double-check to see which song was playing. It sounds like they took the guitar riff from "LA" and used it on the synthesizer in "Escape Artist".

For a lot of bands, it's hard to make electronic music without being influenced by The Postal Service. Trautz cites the band as an inspiration, and it's clear on "Til It Sings, Til It Screams". The song starts with nothing more than vocals and noise, much like The Postal Service's "This Place is a Prison."The gradual build up of instrumentation and emotion is quite powerful.

Musically, The Ready Aim Fire! is brilliant, even if some songs seem almost identical. Lyrically, they're depressing as hell, but there are some lines that are very beautiful or easy to relate to. Vocally, there's something to be desired. Trautz's voice is either a whisper or a scream and it's rarely pleasant. Yet, it's easy to be drawn in by the emotion in that voice, the seeming truth. But man, it can be a bummer.

• 2 out of 4 stars.
• Best track: "LA" and "Skip Town"
• Worst track: "Rumors of Knives"
• http://www.myspace.com/thereadyaimfire

Amy Nichol Smith is a freelance writer for The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4420.