Far was one of the most underrated bands of the 90s, so this is the ghost that will forever haunt the solo work of Jonah Matranga, the band’s former singer. With Onelinedrawing’s new album RAINBOWMACHINE (Iodine Recordings), it is still hard not to gravitate towards the moments that sound like his old band. Is this fair? No, but life is not fair, and he raised the bar for himself so high with Far that it’s hard to give his other work much of a chance. Let’s try and listen to this objectively.
The Nu-Metal elements that Far dabbled with are dialed way down. Almost nonexistent. This also raises a fair argument as to why Far fell between the cracks and did not become a bigger band; most of this lies in timing, as they were too emo for the nu-metal kids and too nu-metal for the hipster emo kids. But now is the perfect time for a reunion; they need the kind of posthumous TikTok fame Type O Negative and Acid Bath received.
Jonah moves into the future with pieces of the past, as there is a bit of pop-punk and eighties radio rock in the first few songs. The opening track could have been on the new Menzingers album with its spirited rambling. It is fitting that “80s El Camino” plugged into the vibes of the days he is singing about, with a Joan Jett feel to the riff. The Far moments don’t start coming till “Failures Virgin” and “inbetweener,” which are not him trying to recapture the past, but it organically comes out. There is more of a folk-rock, nineties strum to “Day One Eighty Three,” as he adds a more vulnerable tone to the vocal and layers them in harmonies as it progresses.
“On Watering Planets” is also a strummed, ballad feel. His choruses build in the expected way, perhaps not taking the same risks as the other songs thus far. The title track is another emotional ballad that feels like one of The Cure‘s happier moments. The vocals are layered with some Beatles influences. There are a few riffs that carry a Far-like cadence but are less emotionally intense. The difference would be like comparing Everclear to Sunny Day Real Estate.
“Water in the Summer” is too happy-sounding, but you have to appreciate the songwriting. They end the album with another more fragile ballad that is not as sugary as, say, Dashboard Confessional, but heading in a dramatically introspective direction. It is still very evident that Jonah is a great songwriter; sometimes his intentions were just too different from what his older fan base might have wanted. Thus lies the rock and the hard place for him moving forward from a band like that. If you can listen to this album with fresh ears, clear of expectations, it is rewarding.
Buy the album here:
https://onelinedrawing.bandcamp.com/album/rainbowmachine
8 / 10
WIL CIFER
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