“Spiders and Webs,” an EP by rock band The Alternates, could be described both as pleasantly surprising and disappointing. On the one hand, it’s always a wonderful surprise to hear a largely unknown band release good music. That being said, “Spiders and Webs” failed to entirely cash in on The Alternates’ potential.

The EP starts off extremely well with “The Modern Way,” a song that transforms from acoustic rock ballad to a more rollicking rock song. It laments the modern age’s ethics, and how the planet has suffered as a result of vices such as a desire for profit: “All the forests are being cut to the ground / To make paper bags … the modern way.” It’s a heartfelt and well-written song, and it sets the bar pretty high for the rest of the CD.

Unfortunately, the EP drags over the course of the following three songs: “Changing Course,” “Metamorphosis” and “Nature of the Mind.” All three are very long ““ longer than they needed to be to get their point across. The shortest of the three clocks in at 4:56 and the longest at 7:21.

It should be said that these songs are not necessarily bad. But they do all tend to sound a bit similar, and when they combine to form almost 20 minutes of music, that results in a tiring listen. This repetitiveness could be due to the fact that most of the album’s sound is focused on lyrics, with instruments providing more of a base of sound than riffs, though there are some solid guitar solos on the album.

Luckily, the album revs back into gear for the final two songs. “Spiders and Webs” is the edgiest of the set, and is the best song on the album. Complete with a catchy riff, this song is another indicator of The Alternates’ potential as a great rock band ““ potential that can still be filled in future releases.

“Slow and Steady” rounds out the album well with solid, echoing rock. It also has a bit of a sharp edge, much like “Spiders and Webs.” The bad is at its best when it plays with an edge.

The Alternates have all the tools to be a great rock band. They’ve got excellent songwriting (though it would be good for the lyrics to be a bit less preachy on the next release), a frontman with an excellent voice and clear musical skill. Though the EP “Spiders and Webs” becomes repetitive at times and is not a complete success, it certainly warrants The Alternates more attention in the future.

“Stuff From the Shelf” is a Spotlight blog series in which Daily Bruin A&E reviews the albums and games that have been sent to us for review over the years.

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