Songs:
1) American Psycho
2) Road Rage
3) 10 x 10
4) The End
5) Look Away
6) Broken Hands
7) MPYP
8) General Admission
9) U Turn
10) Undone
11) Not for You
12) LA Riot
13) Zone
14) Seedless
15) California Dreaming

Mower is heavy metal with all of the trappings. Most tracks on Not for You have dueling vocals, one a higher pitch than the other, but both are the angry growling common to the genre -- the sound is similar to Drowning Pool's popular single, "Let the Bodies Hit the Floor."

Even though it's guttural, the growling isn't unintelligible. The lyrics can be followed, but they don't strike me as inspired. As you can imagine, "Road Rage" is an angry account of traffic frustration. Nothing deep or revealing about the lyrics, but they paint the picture and lend to the theme and image the band is trying to portray: they are modern, angry, and dark. Track 12 has typical lyrics: "I decide to take your life / because in a minute you'd take mine," and "pick up a knife and show what that's for / this is war."

On the third track, the pace slows a bit, but they funk it up more, making the song the most danceable on the CD. In places, the bassist does that slappity-poppity thing that good bass players can do. The guitarist is competent, although his instrument is not prominent; this is a drum aficionado's group. Often, the rest of the players seem to be trying to keep up with the drummer's machine-gun speed. But, each member is talented. The changes in tempo and all beats and notes are hammered with precision.

I usually say of heavy music that it's a shame such a talented band will never get much airplay, but I think Not for You has a radio favorite: yes, track 15 is the Mamas and the Papas classic retreated to heavy metal standards, and it's hilarious and fantastic.

Hometown CD Review 7-6-06