Crossfade was a vaguely 2000s-sounding rock band who released their self-titled, Crossfade, in 2004 & I listened to it as a kid then. ¿Is there anything interesting to say ’bout this album? I sure hope so, ’cause we’re going to be looking @ it this month.

1. Starless

A decent banger, especially the the noodly deep riffs that sound like revving engines that open this song & the way the main singer elongates the last word o’ e’ery line in the chorus. Granted, I’m not sure how I feel ’bout the ultra whiteboy reggae rapping our boy’s doing in the bridge.

The lyrics jump all o’er the place, but all tie to the vague energy o’ being unhappy, which will be a pattern on this album — & in 2000s nu-metal / post-grunge in general, ’course. I just love how the 2nd verse starts with the brag o’, “i can transcend you & mentally bend you”, only to continue with mo’ lines ’bout unhappy the singer is.

As for the chorus, it is just a muddled metaphor: the singer sings ’bout feeling vaguely “starless”, whate’er that means, but then describes himself as “ready to fade now”. OK, ¿so are you the space that possesses the stars or are you a star yourself? & then the backup singer moans ’bout how he’s “grayed out”, which isn’t something black outer space or stars do, e’en when they implode. If they’re talking ’bout star death, that’s a terrible metaphor for depression, as star deaths are not only glamorous, they also eventually lead to new stars or planets, which is way mo’ hopeful than the singers probably intended, given the dour sound o’ this song.

Grade: B

2. Cold

The big hit from this album — probably the 1 song you’ll find from the band in 2004 playlists & the like. It’s a fitting title, as I always felt cool on this song, neither hating nor loving it, but its subject o’ regret for letting relationships fade out is relatable, I guess — tho I’m sure there were many, many better songs o’ the same mood back then. I do kind o’ like the warm guitar tones & the robotic, droning way the backup singer says, “never meant to be so cold”, but the lyrics are just bland & trite: “you’re the antidote that gets me by / something strong like a drug that gets me high”. If she was the antidote that got you by, ¿why was it so easy for you to ignore her? & while telling someone they get you high is great for a loud, wild, fun song ’bout a freak with which you have sloppy sex, it doesn’t work when you’re trying to be romantic.

Grade: C

Music Video

That said, I do like this music video & its irony o’ having the singer loudly sing an apology song, presumably aimed @ his girlfriend, with his whole band only to be so into singing said song that he shoves off said girlfriend. That twist saves it from falling victim to the tediousness o’ being yet ’nother 2000s music video where the band just plays in a dingy, poorly-lit room.

Grade: A

3. So Far Away

The problem with doing these song-by-song reviews is it forces me to notice things I wouldn’t — & probably shouldn’t — care ’bout, such as the absurdity that a sweet, sorrowful song ’bout how regretful the protagonist is that they were so cold toward their girlfriend is followed by a bitter song ’bout how glad the protagonist is that he left his bitch o’ a girlfriend while taunting, “now i’m blaming you for everything…”.

Musically, howe’er, this is much mo’ interesting than the previous song, starting with a slow, droning country-like menacing intro, building up to the point o’ doing some Papa Roach style whisper shout @ the end. It’s goofy as hell, but, hey, if anything it’d work nowadays — I’d take it o’er MGK pretending to be a country singer.

Grade: B

4. Colors

This is the other single from this album & is e’en lamer than “Cold”, with its smarmy subject-matter o’ telling some girl with low self-esteem, aw, honey, why you gotta be so down when it’s not shinin’ off your best colors, which just reminds me o’ the cliché o’ weird men telling random women to smile. The melodramatic way the singer sings “SURELY NOT THE BEEEEST COLORS THAT YOU SHIIIIINE” with this hokey metaphor ’bout some woman’s “colors not shining” makes it e’en lamer.

It gets a D instead o’ an F ’cause I like the music’s texture & while the melodies & beats are forgettable, they’re not nearly as unlistenable as some o’ the other stuff I’ve listened to for this series.

Grade: D

Music Video

E’en the music video is much lamer than “Cold”, just being the band playing on a rooftop — gee, that’s original — in Breaking Bad Mexico interspersed with random clips o’ some woman… vaguely unhappy with her home life, only for the music video to end with her climbing up to their rooftop & dropping a necklace into the street — possibly hurting someone if it landed on them, the inconsiderate asshole — to solemn silence. How deep.

Grade: F

5. Death Trend Setta

If there’s 1 thing you can credit to this album, it’s got variety. We follow a hokey pop-country-style ballad with this stomping song with some great whiteboy-rapped prechoruses. Howe’er, this song’s funky-fresh title ( notice the way “setter” is spelled “setta”, which is a linguistical twist they do down in “the ghetto”, according to my research ) stands out from this song’s otherwise predictable lyrics o’ vague petulance toward some associate — possibly an ex-lover — with the protagonist out o’ nowhere proclaiming, “& now you see i could be / another would-be / another death trend setta” whate’er that’s s’posed to mean. Considering the line “would-be”, which is pejorative, it can’t be a boast. ¿Is this random associate trying to make our protagonist not be himself just to fit in & not use corny-ass phrases like “death trend setta”. I dunno. Still, it’s a catchy song.

Grade: B

6. The Deep End

O, now I remember why I wanted to review this album: this amazing obscure gem. We start with some goofy-ass twanging notes, followed by our main singer singing his heart out with this amazing metaphor: “i built my life like my bike on a rigid frame / so nothing bends it only breaks into / pieces & pieces”; & then, in case you didn’t get ’nough time to quite appreciate these eloquent lyrics, the other singer in a comically deep, southern accent repeats this 1st verse, line-by-line. & then in the 3rd verse the main singer comes back to whine ’bout how boring his Saturdays are.

Grade: S

7. No Giving Up

I’m also glad I was reminded ’bout this song, a funky-fresh whiteboy dance rap jam ’bout how you should totally, like, not end your life, homey. Move o’er “Not Like Us”: this summer I’m cripwalkin’ to these G-funk lyrics:

when you were just gettin’ in the groove
now you’re faced with something new

i’m hittin’ back y’all, kickin’ these 4 walls
just as hard as i can till i can’t crawl

well it’s all right we’re sayin’ our goodbyes
to the past & everything that ain’t right

Note: those last lines probably don’t work as well as the composer thought, given you’re s’posed to be trying to convince someone not to say goodbye to e’erything.

Grade: A

8. Dead Skin

¿Another store-brand country song?

some days i pray
someone will blow me away
make it quick but let it burn
so i can feel my life fade

¿& what happened to “no givin’ up now, y’all”? This song is literally the opposite o’ the previous: the last 1 was all, “forget ’bout the past, it’s OK”, & this 1’s all, “I can’t shed my skin / ¿why can’t I begin again?”.

Sonically, the hokey music & verse singing isn’t doing it for me, & the way they sing the chorus, especially the, “I CAN’T GET OUT OF THIS DEAD SKIIIIIIN”, sounds weirdly muffled. Still better than that “Colors” song, tho.

Grade: C

9. Disco

This song is just bizarre: verses mocking somebody who seems to think they’re hot shit, but they’re “act[ing] like a whore beggin’ for crack or a sack”, but actually the singer could totally beat their ass, only to contradict that with the last line o’ the verses, “with every breath you take you bring me down”; then we get some whispered tough-guy lyrics; & then we get a bouncy chorus ’bout how somebody’s discoing so much that they soiled their own pants — I’m not making that up, that’s part o’ the chorus. & I don’t e’en know what’s going on in the bridge — “¿so what’s your point?”, indeed. If I had to guess, this song is probably ’bout some friend o’ the singer’s who ruined their life doing drugs, & the discoing is a goofy metaphor for these drug trips. It’s very odd how the band bounces from vague & cliché songs like “Cold” or “Dead Skin” to mindboggling songs like this.

I won’t pretend it’s not catchy & fun to sing ’long to, “you’re wasted now & you’re gettin’ on down with the disco…”, tho.

Grade: A

10. The Unknown

This song’s main doomy riff is the best on this album, as is the solo in the middle & the weird sounds o’ a car skidding on the road. The lyrics, meanwhile, are vague & bland, but inoffensive, with talk o’ “walkin’ in your shoes” & “steppin’ all over your soul”.

Grade: B

Conclusion

Like Breaking Benjamin’s Saturate, this album was mo’ interesting than I remember.

Final Grade: B