Reviewed by:
HawkaLuigi, on april 05, 2007
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Sound: In Matt Skiba's first mainstream side-project, Heavens Patent Pending was a major success. Working with close friend Josiah Steinbrick, who played the guitar, drums, bass, and keyboard for the project, the album is far from anything expected. Steinbrick puts the instruments into a perfect flow that Skiba sings over flawlessly. A big notice on Patent Pending is the subtle playing of the guitar. It isn't a main importance, with riffs hardly audible and used only for a background. The only problem I had with the album is the repetive drum beats, obviously made from a computer program. In several songs the drums drone on, with only the bass guitar giving it a variance. I give the music a solid 8 because it fits in well with Skiba's dark lyrics. // 8
Lyrics and Singing: The lyrics on Patent Pending are quite possibly some of Skiba's finest. Many of the songs have references to events, such as the title's namesake, Patent Pending. In the song it refers to guillotines and the wide open sea, which in my mind brings back the French Revolution. In my owe-so-humble opinion Matt Skiba is one of modern rock's greatest lyricists, especially in the writing of this album. The lyrics take the listener to darker, deeper places in the world. Because of this I give the lyrics a perfect 10. // 10
Impression: In general Patent Pending is a true gem in it's modern rock genre, and if someone stole this album from me I would hunt them down (just kidding). It was truly worth the $13.88 I paid for it at my local record store. When it came out originally the album actually hit #4 on the UK rock charts. Patent Pending deserves a 9 overall for it's brilliance, but Skiba fans be aware that this isn't an Alkaline Trio album, it's a whole different ball game. // 9
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