Unfortunately, the a <href=”http://mp3.com”>MP3.com site provides a section where the featured band can list the major-label acts that would be considered “similar” to them in style and sound. Liquid Picasso, the Westbury-based alt-rockers who’ve honed their chops playing in acts like The Slackers, The Troublemakers and Stonegroove, chose to include Matchbox 20, The Goo Goo Dolls and Third Eye Blind. The message is loud and clear and might as well read: “Our music is vapid and bland and we sound like every other act on the radio.”
But LP is neither bland nor sounds like any of the losers they cite. The trio’s music actually shows some impressive originality. Songs like the trippy “Floating By” and the Pink Floyd-meets-Radiohead vibe of “Where Did You Go?” which impressively rides the distorted sustain of Matt Trentadue’s guitar, showcase the band’s versatility.
The biggest problem with the band’s MP3 offerings, 10 songs from their eponymous debut, is their abysmal recording quality. The bassist, who is named Trent (another guy you’ve never heard of who chooses to go by one name), underpins the self-loathing “I Will Never Win” with some nice bass work, but gets washed out by the muddy mix.
Drummer Chris Lobello, who also plays with the Doors tribute band Break On Through, is a solid percussionist, but you can’t really tell by listening to the moody and loping “The Unearthly Man,” the Duran Duran-ish “In My Room” or “Talk to Me” because of all the machine beats, which relegate Lobello to the role of button pusher.
With such a versatile sound and experience with popular live acts, you’d expect to be able to rush out and hear these guys playing the local circuit. But they haven’t played a single live gig to date. “Our manager was scared to put us out there before releasing an album,” says Trentadue.
Although these songs from their eponymous debut disc are available on the site, Trentadue says he expects the band to start touring in a month or so, to coincide with their next release. That album will feature several remakes of tunes found online.