Codeseven: Dancing Echoes/Dead Sounds

There’s this great little college radio station near where I live in central Texas. A few summers back, it was the only station I’d listen to, and I attribute my broad musical tastes to the diversity of its programming. One tune on frequent rotation was Codeseven’s cover of Don Henley’s “Boys of Summer”, and I will forever associate that song with happy memories. The ferocious, screaming rendition of the chorus can still amp me up in a way that most hardcore and metal have long since been unable to do.

It’s been at least five years since I first remember hearing that song, and since then, the musical landscape has changed quite a bit. A new version of hardcore, usually tagged with the dreaded “screamo” label, has found wider acceptance, thanks mostly to a kinder, gentler sound. Punk is now pop. “Boys of Summer” did end up becoming a hit, but this time, it was in the hands of the Ataris, whose syrupy version pales in comparison to Codeseven’s furious treatment.

Through all of these developments, Codeseven has struggled to find an audience. “Boys of Summer” may have been a hit on college radio, but how many people listen to college radio? And how many fans of the song were going to go out and buy their record anyway? I didn’t; I downloaded the sucker. Let’s face it. It was a fun song, but it was still a novelty track. Bands that enter the spotlight through a novelty rarely make it to their second single. Ask yourself what the Ataris have done for you lately.

Seemingly aware of this quandary, Codeseven opted to scratch their so-so hardcore sound in hopes of finding a style in which they might stand out. The only thing now resembling the Codeseven of old is their name. The changes from record to record have been extreme, and none of the various incarnations of their sound have exactly excelled in the originality category. Still, listening to 2002’s The Rescue, you could hear the potential. The record still held true to some of the blistering guitar riffing of their previous efforts, but it juxtaposed the edge with mellow vocal lines and slow tempos. It was screamo minus the screams, and yet it didn’t quite add up to emo. Still, the foray into melody didn’t land them the attention they so seemed to desire. Unfortunately, based on their new release Dancing Echoes/Dead Sounds, it sounds as if the band will do anything to get the elusive brass ring, even if it means speeding up a descent down the slippery slope to flat, mediocre radio rock terrain.

What’s sad is that the music on Dancing Echoes ain’t too shabby. Honestly, if the whole record had been instrumental, this release would have turned out better. Jingly guitar riffs, danceable beats, and tasteful use of electronics, effects, and piano are evidence that Codeseven are no slouches when it comes to musicianship. For the first half of opening track “All the Best Dreams”, I was even enjoying myself as vocalist Jeff Jenkins’ soothing falsetto reeled me into the marching beat and symphonic synthesizer lining. Unfortunately, at the halfway point of the song, the band decides to “rock out” all emotive-like, and the record begins its mostly downhill journey.

Yes, Dancing Echoes not only goes gently over to the right side of the radio dial — it goes willingly, and the vocals are to blame. Jenkins has a capable voice, but he seems intent on emulating the intonations and melodies of the typical rock ballad hit. Think about any of the mellower tracks by Incubus or Hoobastank or any band of that ilk; Dancing Echoes is comprised almost exclusively of such tunes. The tracks that ring most guilty are the aforementioned “All the Best Dreams” and “Roped and Tied”. There’s no doubting that the sing-along quotient is high on both tunes, and either one could have easily been a hit a couple of years ago. But the market’s been saturated with so-called hard rock bands that have ultimately scored fans through their “sensitive” numbers. Codeseven may have arrived to the party a little too late.

The most intriguing tracks on the record, “Alt.wav” and “The Devil’s Interval”, are decent only because the quality of the music overshadows the trite vocal lines. And sadly, these songs are lost at the end of the record. If you make it that far into it with interest intact, then you might not even appreciate these tracks as the stand-out numbers they are.

You can’t help but sense that the band is trying a different recipe with every record until they cook that magic dish that will satiate the public. Perhaps what the band should do is work on one dish until they get it right, rather than give up if things don’t turn out perfect the first time. Returning to what they began on The Rescue would be a good start, and if it turns out that Codeseven have indeed missed the boat to success again, there’s no reason not to. What fans the band has acquired have got to be nervous, though. Developing your sound is one thing, but when it’s anyone’s guess as to what you’re going to cook up from record to record, then it’s anyone’s guess as to whether the fans’ loyalty will be sustained.