Music veteran Rick Altizer having previously produced an impressive array of power pop albums, has made this new concept album that shares a bleak mood with Pink Floyd’s “The Wall.” Opening with a heartbeat, “Hello World” sets the stage for the birth of a selfish soul named Sam. The impeccable guitar melody of the mid-tempo “Don’t Let Me Cry” leads to the bleak heaviness of “Feed Me” where Sam craves attention, “I hold you responsible for all the crap in my life,” he snarls before the chorus. “I Want My Whatever” is yet another wonderful anthem of overindulgence that compares well with Joe Walsh’s “Life’s Been Good.” Another standout is the bouncy guitar of “Star” where the lyrics and melody strut it’s protagonists conceit with abandon. The albums second half shows our anti-hero wants “More” but his insatiable appetite breeds discontent in the heaviest tune here, “Is That It?” Ending with the slow building epic “Take Care of Me” it spirals toward the end of the life cycle in “Assisted” and finally another reprise “Goodbye World.” My biggest knock here is that the album’s second half leans too much on reprising earlier themes (4 reprises). Is “Sam” a rock star in the mold of Roger Water’s “Pink” or just a political analogy for spoiled Americans who crave the nanny-state? Either way its pretty heavy handed here, but the music is typical Altizer, full of hooks, and hypnotic themes. Overall, a welcome change of pace from your typical melodic rock. And it’s a music bargain, only $6 directly from Rick’s site.
