Arts & Entertainment
 

California Dios doesn't impress

First effort shows no hints of originality

By Portia-Elaine Gant
The Daily Cougar

On its website, Dios notes that it hails from Hawthorne, California, the same city that gave the world the Beach Boys and Black Flag. However, Dios' debut album shows no signs of hits such as "Surfin' USA" or "California Girls." The highlight of their self-titled debut is the first track, "Nobody's Perfect," and the album races downhill from there.

John Paul Caballero, James Cabez DeVaca, Jackie Monzon and Joel and Kevin Morales make up the fruitless five-piece whose album is as redundant as an LFO creation and as memorable as 1990s boy band 3rd Storee. Its music is nothing more than ordinary, and Dios isn't even attractive enough to defer their audience's attention elsewhere.

The only thing that will keep listeners from pressing the skip button is the lack of clarity between tracks. Because the monotone tracks are framed by random bits of conversation and annoying clatter, there is little definition to any of the songs. "50 Cents," which makes poor attempts at an acoustic-styled recording, sounds more like an amateur composition than something seasoned and cultured. 

There is not much to be found in Dios' lyrical abilities, but the band does enjoy a few senseless expletives throughout the album. The most jarring moments of the album, however, are found in "50 Cents" and "Just Another Girl" where a seemingly slow ballad morphs into a thrashing tune, jolting the listener. The sketchy transition, rather than a smooth exposition, places the group's musical knowledge into question.

The saving grace of the group comes in the form of instrumental interludes in songs such as "Meeting People" and the only slightly upbeat tune "Starting Five." The latter is a bouncy, up-tempo tune that adds color to the otherwise gray album. The use of natural elements, such as the ocean background in "Uncertainty" and the rain in "All My Life," are soothing, until the actual song breaks into full swing. 

Unfortunately, like many cookie-cutter artists of the day, Dios offers nothing that has not been done before. Average is word of the day for Dios, which seem to be dancing in between the old-school pop sound presented by Rooney and the prefabrication of Britney Spears.

Dios

Dios

StarTime International

Verdict: Want to burn money? Throw some bills in the fireplace; it would be more entertaining.

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