Review by Richie Pirone
Framing Hanley is a band that certainly has its demographic and they shouldn’t be hard to target. The first single from Framing Hanley’s The Moment (could this title be much more emo?), “Hear Me Now,” has got a radio ready chorus that would certainly crossover between alternative and modern rock radio and as their bio states it’s been picked up by XM. There are two flaws to this song though. First, it sounds nothing like the rest of the album in that it’s a bit more produced and second, they have the staple of emocore – screaming during a melodic sequence. The rest of The Moment falls into the void between the lines of pop punk and modern rock like its afore mentioned first single only in a much more non-descript way. The thing that drives me nuts when bands, or most likely A&R people, do this with a single, is that it is completely misleading when it comes to determining what a band really sounds like.
Disregarding “Hear Me Now,” The Moment isn’t a bad record, it’s just been done before. Framing Hanley has put together a respectable debut but they haven’t done anything that breaks any new ground. The record features a number of respectable lead guitar lines, which have been making a comeback as of late. For that, I give Framing Hanley a nod of respect. “23 Days” has a solid intro with some synths and a drum machine which give it a ray of hope but then it quickly fades into more of the same which is a let down. The album’s obligatory ballad “Alone In This Bed” would work great in a romantic comedy when the couple gets in a fight and the guy is walking home in the rain looking depressed and they cut to the girl sitting in her bed eating ice cream in pajamas still wishing they were together. If after reading this and/or giving Framing Hanley a listen for yourself you still can’t figure out what their demographic is here’s a hint: You can find them at the mall, probably at Hot Topic.