In the world of popular hard rock, there are those that adhere to the dogma of what hundreds of other bands are trying to recreate. Then there are who tread the edge of what has become commonplace adding their own crevices and protrusions to well rounded rock. Chevelle, comprised of the brothers Loeffler, is among the latter, along with groups like Tool and System of a Down.
The Chicago-based trio was never the rockingest group on the horizon, but their 1999 debut album "Point #1" cemented them as the most indie-scene influenced of the possible up-and-comers in popular rock. For a time they were overshadowed by the likes of Limp Bizkit and Staind, but with the release of "Wonder What's Next?" they found themselves at the top of the heap.
Now with "This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In)" Chevelle try to uphold critics' and fans' expectations alike.
A fair share of the disc repeats what has given the group success: mid-tempo, mid-intensity instrumental backdrops that allot room for singer Pete Chevelle, a.k.a. Pete Loeffler, to make the best of his "good-enough" baritone. (Yes, every member of the band changed their last name to that of the band. Dedicated or just plain silly?)
Many moments, however, hint at modest development. The obligatory soft songs, "Panic Prone" and "Bend the Bracket" are better than the one found at the end of "Wonder What's Next?" which felt like an afterthought. "Panic Prone" precedes the album's heaviest tune, "Another Know it All," opens with hot double-bass action and cleaner speed-strumming than was heard on either of the previous records. The adjacency of these two songs allows for precious contrast on an album begging for it.
Despite these advancements, however, the album ends up sounding quite a bit like those prior. They use the same intervals in their vocal harmonies, mostly fifths, and pretty much refuse to break away from radio-friendly song structures. They were a much better group when they were willing to try funky things, like on "Point # 1."
For what it is, "This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In)" is a pretty good album. But it's not the revolutionary smashing of pop-rock boundaries that many critics suspected the group was capable.
