You can tell that Guy Strzepeck and Craig Maseratti, the duo who form Audiocrash, are really trying here on their album Time Sensitive Material. But perhaps they’re trying too hard. Honestly, it’s hard to think of the last time I’ve heard a CD where the lead singer sounds as corny as he does on this disc. Guy is straining far too hard for the cool rock dude sound in his voice, going for one of those raw, throaty deliveries that sounds like the kind of thing Trey Parker hilariously parodies on any given episode of “South Park” or in the “Team America” flick. Songs like “Captain America” and “I Can’t Feel You Anymore” is the stuff bad rock nightmares are made of. Then there’s the production, which is just too damn sterile for its own good. This undoubtedly has to do with Maseratti handling all the instrumental and production duties himself. The songs sound like they’ve been suffocated in some sort of plastic coating with no room to breathe. Still, I suppose you can’t fault them for trying, and the music overall isn’t as bad as the worst I’ve heard. Perhaps their live show is better, but as far as what these guys have to work with on this CD, they’re honestly not going to get very far. Another DIY demo gussied up to look like a finished work. Pass. (Label: Dirty Garage Records, 2008)
