Enjoy.
The Perpetrators
Of Crime and Passion (Self Titled)
8/10
by Elina Vaysbeyn
Of Crime and Passion is a local project headed by five membegers, three of whom are University at Buffalo students. OCAP is preparing to showcase their talents after months of practice. Having gotten its start in 2004, they have finally reached a group dynamic that flows seamlessly. Composed of Asaf Nisim on drums, vocalist Daniel Marin, Kim Boulden on bass, Matthew Schaffer on guitar, and Zachary Himmelsbach handling keyboards and synths, the band is definitely green. Despite their newness on the scene, they have been fine-tuning their sound for years.
They've just finished producing their self-titled debut, and I got the chance to listen to their material before it gets played live all around Buffalo. As Cure-era new wave enthusiasts, they pull the genre in many directions, by incorporating the different elements of their separate playing styles. Daniel's beautiful, atmospheric voice expands on the musical backdrop of mimicking chords, with very sentimental, as well as hardcore piano, guitar, and drum solos. As a whole, the five are especially self-conscious and talented musicians. The seriousness with which they approach their music is evident in its meticulous composition. Every part of a song is there for a carefully exacted reason.
On tracks like "I'm Sorry," and "Losing Faith in Love," Marin's voice blooms into a dark, synthesized landscape, through which the instrumentals flow. Though they are far from mainstream (and let's keep it that way), their eerie and distracted melodies are charming and catchy. "Avoiding" has a fantastic lead— persistent vocals paving the way to a melancholic, but upbeat composition, with piercing slide guitar moments.
The only criticism of OCAP is in the lyrics, some of them written at the amateur age of only sixteen. The maturity of their musical deftness by far surpasses that of their lyrics'. "If you drove a needle through my brain / It would not match the pain / That I'm feeling now"— we can all empathize with dramatic lyrics, especially when they're sung in a Robert Smith-esque voice, but they seem somewhat trite. The music casts such an eerie and hypnotizing spell over the listener that the lyrics almost have to work twice as hard to keep up. "Transmission," one of my favorites, is an intriguing new wave track that splices dainty, synth vibraphone taps with a full range of aggressive instrumentals.
Of Crime and Passion is not in it for the glory. They're in it for the dignity and respect of peers and audiences alike. Hours and hours of practice have made the difference between being just another college band and being a band that takes responsibility for its actions. You can check out OCAP's music on iLike.com or MySpace.com.