Aly & AJ are back with a new Cd and a new sound. They have added new wave sonics- like synths & voice effects- which sound different than their previous work. While I loved the sound of " Into the Rush"- I realize that artists have to grow and try to keep up with the time. The sound may have changed but the great talent of the Michalka sisters remains. They have great voices and write all their own songs which are very personal mostly about breaking up and falling in love. While I like all the songs the standouts are Potential Breakup Song-the first single; Insomniatic , a hard rocker; Like Whoa, a really fun upbeat song; and Silence, the most beautiful song Aly & AJ have ever recorded!
There is also a great remix of Chemicals React - my all-time favorite Aly & AJ song.
The new sound and at times overwhelming production of the CD may put some peaople off- but I think the sincerity & talent of Aly & AJ will win over people who give it a try.
Aly & AJ remain fine singers and worthy role models and this CD is a potential smash hit in my book!
I suppose I should state my credentials to start with. To put things in perspective... I am both a music enthusiast and producer. I listen to all genres both popular and not. I also do a great deal of studio work, so I know how to admire a well produced album. Anyway, enough about me, let's review.
In most cases, bubblegum pop has long been completely disregarded by the serious bulk of the music world. No one wants to listen to the lip sink melodies of the Ashley Simpsons of the pop world. Neither do we want to hear the next Britney Spears clone, bringing shallow lyrics and tired hooks to the table over and over again. Even further, let's be honest with ourselves. The majority of radio play now is trash. Mass media music and MTV hype has taken over and there seems to be no end in sight. But this is besides the point, and has been talked about too much already. My fellow music enthusiasts reading this will all agree I'm beating a dead horse.
By late 2005 I had lost most faith in the bubblegum pop genre and its ability to produce catchy yet thoughtful albums. Even breakout artists like Hilary Duff seemed to be careening into pools of market garbage and catering to a seemingly dumber audience than when they started. My doubts we're relieved when I heard a new single from a breakout duo Aly and AJ. After some short research, I recognized the former sister as a minor Disney Channel star. So it warranted little question why they had achieved popularity in the music scene. Curiosity killed the cat and I simply had to buy these two sister's album to see what could be in store. It should be said, my expectations weren't very high. But the duo floored me. What ensued was a well produced, thoughtful, musically sensible, and surprisingly mature pop album. What can I say? The hooks were smart. The songs were uncontrived. Clearly Disney had found a double sided gem. But the question still remained. We're these girls a one shot success at an attempt for Disney to score some quick cash? The absence of Lip Sinking gave promise. I hoped.
Flash forward to 2007. "Potential Breakup Song" is released and I am unimpressed. It was immature, overly poppy, and cheap...like all singles of its kind. Still, I had a feeling the rest of the coming album would be gold. My feeling was right. I picked Insomniatic up immediately, and devoured its contents. The Michalka sisters had struck again.
It's evident from first listen that the duo has obviously grown up a bit. The musical styles have become more diverse since Into The Rush. The instrumentation being more mature, and the lyrics slightly more thought out, being mostly about typical teenage girl problems...being boys. But not to worry. They are sincere. And it shows.
The first track, Potential Breakup song, is a weak cookie cutter single...probably the most contrived and uneventful song on the album. I won't dwell on it however. The later is brilliant.
"Bullseye" is a fast paced rocker reminiscent of a softened John 5 riff. Complete with a catchy chorus. This song does a great job of getting us pumped for the rest of the album. "Closure" is one of the first great songs on Insomniatic. The lyrics remain thoughtful with a backdrop of sad yet upbeat hooks. The song ends with a soothing backwards spoken melody easing us into the next song. "Division" may well be my favorite track off Insomniatic. It retains originality, innovation, fine melody, and great lyrics. Everything about this song is just great. The instrumentation especially is genius. Cuddos to the sessioneers. I can't say enough good things about this track.
"Like it or Leave It" starts the album back up with some fast paced pop-rock fervor. The melodies and beats in this song really have a way of blending against each other to make for a nice overall feeling.
The next three track on the CD could be called filler, but that's not to say they're bad at all. "Like-Whoah" is sure to be an instant radio success. While "Insomniatic" and "Silence" refuse to be picked over by using catchy hooks and ear pleasing melodies. You can't help but admire the consistency here. "If I could Have You Back" takes a turn for the more techno heavy, electronic influenced side of the sisters, sounding half rave, half rock song. Which brings forth another of the album's stellar qualities: genre mixing.
"Blush" suddenly turns the table and opens up a whole new sound for sister Alyson Michalka. The slow but sweet piano crooning along with the lyrics about a secret love proves to be one of the best and most unique tracks on the CD.
Normally this is the part where most albums of this caliber start to lose their luster, but the last 3 tracks go out with a bang.
"Flattery" could well be the best composed song here, with wonderful instrumentation and yet another amazing vocal performance from the sisters. "I'm Here" takes another slow sad turn, but instead proves to be a heart moving ballad with one of the catchiest choruses on the album. The bass line warrants compliment too. Finally, the remix of "Chemicals React" winds up the CD, delivering another version of the already great single. You almost wish it wasn't over.
So why 4 stars? Obviously most everything I've said so far has been resoundingly positive in most respects, which goes to show, there are many great things to be said about this album. It's consistent, innovative, heartfelt, mature, and well produced to say the least. However, while "Insomniatic" does break a lot of original barriers for the pop realm, it isn't exactly reinventing the term. There are of course, a few parts in some songs I felt could have been done slightly better...but those are minor annoyances. I should probably tag this a 4 and 1/2. It really comes close to perfection. I'll be eager to hear more from the sisters in the future.
I'm not a big fan of Aly and AJ, but when I heard "Potential Breakup Song" I became addicted. i think they're talented and their music isn't bad for Disney Channel. I noticed they have a newer sound from their previous albums. I downloaded a few of the songs from "Insomniac" and I like them very much. Aly has a good voice that is definately better than Hillary Duff, who I can't stand. Don't compare Aly and AJ to Hillary Duff. Sure Aly may be another Disney actor-turned-singer but she's much better than Hillary Duff. I like it a lot better than "Hannah Montana/Meet Miley Cyrus." it's just more original and more from the heart. You can tell the two are actually trying to be unique and not giving into the tween pop trend. If you liked "Potential Breakup Song" there's more to offer. I'm 25 and i like Aly and AJ. I know it's kind of sad but it's good music!
What I like about Aly & AJ's new album is that it isn't exactly pop. Sometimes I get kind of tired of the cheesy pop music today, so I was glad to hear that they had a more rock-ish sound. The only problem I had with their album was that most of the songs were about relationships. On Into the Rush their songs dealt with a variety of issues (like missing kids, being bullied, and having a sister) but this one focused on mainly boys.
I do like most of the songs though. My favorites are Closure, Division, and my most favorite is Like it or Leave It. I also think it was cool that they included a remix of Chemicals. Overall, this album is a good buy, but not for kids that are, say, under 10, because some of it they may not understand.
" Insomniatic " is an A-mazing album, their new sounds is great and their lyrics are very grown up and inspiring in a total different level. Their fans should be very content with Aly & Aj's growth as artists and apreciate their new sound and music. I have this album on repeat all the time now and in my opinion it is the BEST album so far.
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