Spread the Social Love:

Young Guns - Crystal Clear [Single]

Live Forever

by danreviewer, July 7th, 2010 and has been Read 1541 times.
Last Edited by: Chris MUG5 Maguire July 7th, 2010.

Once again I’ll start off by saying I'm a self confessed fan of Young Guns; ever since the early days. Although, since the release of their new album and a few singles here and there, I have been quite critical of their music. I was quite neutral about my thoughts of ‘Winter Kiss’, which you can read here and then, after hearing ‘Sons Of Apathy’, I thought the boys were taking steps in the right direction and getting back to their hard hitting roots. The chorus was excellent (always a great Young Guns trait – catchy and anthemic).

So now ‘Crystal Clear’ appears in my hands and what I'm hoping to find is an instant hit and the place Young Guns have been working towards in recent months. The interesting thing about this release is that just 24 hours ago I saw the video for the first time on TV and I was intrigued to give it a few more airings before I committed to a review. So, here we are, staring at a repeat play count on Windows Media Player of 28 listens (it’s a one track single by the way) and the review that follows will summarise my thoughts.

No weedy fade in, just full frontal rock for a more powerful intro. The guitars are fresh and crisp using an effect which gives it a little more atmospheric lift and substance followed by a more distorted rhythm approach. Once more, a Lost Prophets style memorable and chant-friendly chorus line, which builds appeal the more you hear it (believe me). I feel like Gustav’s voice has matured over time and he has really has found his feet here with a great vocal delivery that suits and ‘makes’ the Young Guns sound. I suppose I need to throw my thoughts at the production, which annoyingly feels too polished for me and if they can try and build in a sound closer to that of their live performance, I feel this would give a better overall listening experience. The backing vocals add to the ‘big’ sound that Young Guns are now achieving and this reflects the size of the venues they are now playing in.

I think all in all, I prefer ‘Sons of Apathy’ out of the three released singles to date, however this strikes me as a strong album track and one which will keep pace and consistency throughout "All Our Kings Are Dead" (forthcoming album).

A trendy little live version here: