MP3 Review: Torres "Sprinter" (Partisan Records)

When "Sprinter" first starts, it's quiet.   But then when it kicks in, boy does it kick in.   The music reminds me of Hole right away as there is a distortion to it and a sense of anger in the vocals even.     It's heavy like grunge, but musically I can hear some Killers in these songs as well, just showing it stays true to the melody underneath it all.   These melodies are also present on the titular track, as it brings about some elements of Muse with it.  The vocals can come out as almost screaming at times and there isn't too much to compare this with other than to tell you that musically it is very good.

Lyrically, this is one of the best pieces of music I have ever heard.   Torres (which is not her real name, but an alias) leaves no subject untouched as this confessional style of song writing just does not cover anything up but rather bares the soul of the artist.    More than one time she mentions God or makes reference to him, talking about her pastor.     She also sings about being a tired woman who will be 23 in January.  I don't recall what I was doing at 23 but I can tell you that it wasn't making music this good.

The two lines that really stick with me on this album are from the beginning and then later on.   One of the first lines you will probably also pull from this is "I was all for being real / But if I don't believe then no one will".    Later on, as the songs can become darker and somewhat haunting I am drawn to the line and idea that "If you do not know the darkness then you're the one that fears the most".     And I just enjoy everything about "A Proper Polish Welcome".

If you don't like this, don't lie to yourself or anyone else and blame it on the music or something else.   The only reason for you not to like this is because it might just feel too personal to you.   Perhaps you like your music to be more fluff, more style over substance, and that's fine because every now and again we all need a song to sing along with that has little or no meaning to us but is just a fun escape.   Torres has a certain amount of depth that I feel will scare off the casual listener who wasn't prepared for all of this.   But if you open yourself up to it, you might never be the same again.