The Alternate Routes
Good and Reckless and True
Vanguard Records; March 2007
After touring the East Coast extensively for the last four years, opening for Duncan Sheik, O.A.R. and The Bottle Rockets, Vanguard’s newest addition, The Alternate Routes, produces a sweet pop/rock debut with Good and Reckless and True. Their lyrics are original and sincere. The band’s strong vocals, coupled with uplifting, guitar-driven arrangements, and quiet blues-y folk influences, sound like the ideal listen for a long lazy drive. Overall, Good and Reckless and True reminds one of Snow Patrol, or The Fray without the piano. The album might not be the most memorable thing to be released from Vanguard Records, but if you aren’t bothered by the fact that they allow their songs to be featured on “Laguna Beach” and “The Hills,” it’s definitely worth a listen.