Band: Beat Union
Album: Disconnected
Genre: Brit Pop/Powerpop
Label: Science

Tracks:
1. Disconnected
2. Pressure Zone
3. My Heart Starts Beating
4. Dancing In Our Sleep
5. All On My Own
6. Stay On The Line
7. She Is The Gun
8. Can’t Stop The Radio
9. Johnny Loves Jo Jo
10. Don’t Have Love
11. Calling

When I received my copy of Beat Union’s “Disconnected,” I was pretty excited. Keep in mind the fact that my dad began influencing my musical tastes from a very young age. I distinctly remember rockin’ out to the Kinks, the Jam and the Clash, as a child. So, Beat Union, coming from Birmingham, U.K., naturally would capture my immediate interest. Unfortunately, their newest album, Disconnected, which was released by Science Records, failed to keep my interest.

I’m not Beat Union bashing. Don’t get that idea. The album is alright. It just fails to amaze me. When reviewing albums, I typically focus on three areas– the music, the vocals and the lyrics. Musically, this album isn’t bad at all. Beat Union fall short of being the world’s best musicians, but they can hold their own. Their style is typical pop-punk, with basic chord progressions, but it seems to work well for them. The music is catchy.

Vocally, I am in love. Lead vocalist, Dave Warsop, sounds like a cross between Third Eye Blind’s Steven Jenkins and Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba. Throw in a cute accent and a comfortable range and you’ve got a decent vocalist. The backing vocals are pretty good, too. With the slight harmonizing featured on Disconnected, the voice(s) of Beat Union definitely is/are able to bring something to the table.

Now, we get to the lyrical portion of this review. This is where the album falls short. Although the lyrics aren’t particularly horrible, they aren’t anything special. I get the impression a lot of the words were forced, rather than something that would come natural to the writer. The choruses definitely need some work. There are a few good moments, lyrically, but for the most part,Disconnected offers nothing that is able to stick.

That being said, there is one song that has a lot of promise. Track four, Dancing In Our Sleep, has a set of lyrics that seemed to keep bringing me back to listen to it again. The music is upbeat and catchy, typical of pop-punk. The vocals set it apart, because they aren’t your typical “whiney” pop-punk pitches. The song features a drum and vocal breakdown about two minutes in, that I can imagine does some serious damage at live shows. You can’t help but sing along to it.

Overall, the Brits of Beat Union have some potential. With more attention to lyrics, these guys could have something. As for now, it doesn’t do it for me. Please try again. (I mean that in the sincerest form.)

*Written By: Meaghan Allen*
GRADE: 6.0/10

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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