When Fred Mascherino left Taking Back Sunday at the end of October, diehard fans of the pop-punk outfit were upset and confused. Why would the lovable screaming backup vocalist and guitarist of the band suddenly drop all ties with the group? After being a critical part of Taking Back Sunday for over four years, Fred has (foolishly) decided to split with the band to focus on his solo project, entitled "The Color Fred."
Fred's first solo album, "Bend to Break," was released on Equal Vision Records to less than stellar reception. The album was leaked days before release - fairly commonplace these days - and the album has only peaked at number 41 on the Billboard charts.
The disc draws a lot from Taking Back Sunday in terms of style, but fans looking to find Fred's usual brand of singing won't find it here. The album has 13 tracks that don't vary much in style, but that is most likely due to the fact that Fred plays all instruments on the album and only has a few "guests" that contribute on various tracks. As a whole, the songs sound like they should be the background of an episode of Degrassi, commenting on some type of lost love or current love or emotional problems - interestingly enough, Taking Back Sunday was previously featured on two episodes of Degrassi. If one's music is suitable for a Canadian teen melodrama, it can only go downhill from there.
Tracks like "Minnesota" have Fred singing "Put me through hell, swallow your pill ... swallow your pill now, you can't help to scream or shout." While the track is certainly catchy and has perfect guitar riffs and rhythm, the song just doesn't hit the right tone with the listener; Fred is trying to wean listeners from his previous style of singing and playing. The tracks "I'll Never Know" and "The Tragedy" are too melancholy, and the acoustic sound clashes with everything listeners expect from Fred at this point.
While Fred thrives in the indie-emo feel, his peppier tracks, including the first single "If I Surrender" and "Get Out," are enjoyable and don't feel forced. It is odd that Equal Visions Records, whose other artists include the likes of scream-hardcore Chiodos, high-pitched Anthony Green and his band mates in Circa Survive and Coheed and Cambria, would even sign Fred to the label. Fred's solo career frankly just doesn't fit in with this group of aforementioned artists.
For fans of Taking Back Sunday, "Bend to Break" is worth a listen just to reveal what Fred is up to these days. There is at least a semblance of his previous talent. For others, this CD might be worth the money for fans of incredibly simple, disappointing lyrics - but it's doubtful. In the end, one question remains: Why did Fred feel the need to leave TBS in the first place? From the sounds of his solo album, he probably just got sick of the other guys and would rather put out mediocre CDs by himself.
Nevertheless, Fred is trying his best to get his feet off the ground, and he might attain some success by riding on the coattails of his ex-band. After all, in the eyes of screaming teenage girls, anyone who once graced the stage with Taking Back Sunday can do no wrong. The Color Fred will spend this fall on tour with Angels and Airwaves, Tom Delonge from Blink-182's new, sorry attempt at a super-group. The tour will hit the hipster streets of Allston at the ICC Performance Hall on Dec. 11. At least if no one shows up, the two previously successful punk-pop artists can suffer together.
