I was looking for something straightforward and to the point the other day. Along comes the latest album Worlds Collide from Montreal’s own ONE. No frills, no nonsense, and no hot air. Just plug in and rock out (oot), right? Here is a band that has been slugging it out for a couple of albums now, and signed with Pavement Entertainment in 2013, which is a great move. As far as the tunes go this certainly isn’t anything groundbreaking, but that’s OK. I was looking for an album to just sit and drink to, and that’s what I got.
What immediately got me about these guys is when they slow it down some. “Never Live For Yesterday” is about a half-step slower than mid-tempo, but fuck me, it’s catchy!! And it’s got a nice slicing riff throughout that just grabbed me and made me want to listen again and again. Same goes for “I Want You to Know”. It’s such a great song that’s got a little bit o’Southern swagger to it. The heartfelt emotion doesn’t just stick to the slower stuff, because “Daddy (Don’t Wanna Be Like You)” is one of the best songs on the record in terms of balls-out rocking as well as lyrics.
Another track that has the winning formula is “If You Could Only See”. THIS I could see all over rock radio in the near future and in a live setting driving rocker chicks wild. Chunky guitars are the main course for “Livin a Lie” in what sounds remarkably like THE CULT back in the day. I can totally picture Ian Astbury singing something like this back in ’87 which is also really cool. Without a doubt though, the best song on the record guitar-wise and damn near overall is “We Are One”. I say this because it’s got that tone rock fans can really get into and is CD or mp3-mix ready!
Title track “Worlds Collide” is a bit more on the modern rock side and while it’s good, it didn’t exactly set off fireworks in my head. But “Queen of Rock and Roll” has that dirty boogie that I’ve always loved. This is definitely a song for lining shots up at the bar and getting down to the business at hand. “Dirty Little Secret” is a raucous number that certainly isn’t lacking in the attitude department, and first song “Tomorrow’s Not Too Late” is another attention-grabber. All in all Worlds Collide from ONE was the perfect cure for what ailed me this week. My advice to you is to kick back with some cold beer, a bottle of vodka and/or tequila and just enjoy this band that thankfully doesn’t over-fucking-think it while making some good tunes to fight or fuck to.
STANDOUT TRACKS: “Never Live For Yesterday”, “I Want You to Know”, “Daddy (Don’t Wanna Be Like You)”, “If You Could Only See”, “We Are One”
RATING: 8.6/10
