Metro Station, named one of the top underground bands of 2007 by Alternative Press magazine, has hit the big time with its self titled debut album. The band owes their success in large part to the Internet, posting their video Seventeen Forever on their MySpace website which shot up to the top of the MySpace charts with over 15 million views.
An intern for Red Ink records ultimately discovered them on their MySpace website and they signed on with the label in late 2006. Their first full length album, the self titled Metro Station, was then released in September 2007.
The Band and the Cyrus Factor
The young band out of Hollywood is comprised of Mason Musso on guitar and vocals, Blake Healy on the synthesizer, beats and bass, Anthony Improgo on drums, and Trace Cyrus on guitar on vocals. Cyrus is notably the stepson of country star Billy Ray Cyrus, and the half brother of Miley Cyrus of Hannah Montana fame.
The fact that Trace Cyrus is related to the famed Miley and Billy Ray is unexpected, and hard core alternative fans may be somewhat unwilling to give the band's music a listen because of this association. On the other hand, a sub-audience of the Hannah Montana generation could be introduced to a subtle dose of alternative music and find out that they like it.
The 80's Inspired Album
According to Metro Station's website, the band lists their influences as Motion City Soundtrack, The Killers, Mae and Duran Duran. The catchy tunes definitely have an 80's inspired feel, and the song Control has a serious synthesized 80's style beat. Unfortunately, the lyrics to Control are completely senseless, this song could have been so much better if only the listener could figure out what it was actually about.
The popular opening track Seventeen Forever is quite obviously intended for teens. The lyrics to this youth targeted song are on the shallow side, but the song does capture the essence of being a teenager and therefore doesn't necessarily need to have depth.
By far the best song on the album is the top hit Shake It. It's energetic, it's upbeat and it's good for shaking it out on the dance floor. This is the song to download, more so than any of the others, and is definitely worthy of a listen. Beware though, Shake It has a tendency to get stuck in your head.
Music Fans Review the Album
According to iTunes, alternative fans give this album seriously mixed reviews. Out of over 1800 reviews of the album, most are generally positive. Some reviewers, the majority of them teenage girls, tend to overpraise Metro Station and declare that they must listen to the song Shake It over and over again.
Other reviewers rate the band as less than average, and maybe this is a bit harsh as the band members are not quite adults yet and just starting out. One reviewer actually stated that they would rather put a fork in their eye than listen to this CD. Based on who is giving the review, this album seems to be either loved or hated.
All in all, the album is not bad for a debut effort. It's catchy tunes and 80's style influence are the album's biggest assets. Too bad the lyrics are atrocious, and there's not much variety to the actual music being played. Even so, the band seems to have the potential to become the next big thing. If Metro Station is focusing on achieving success with the high school set, then mission accomplished.
