by Cara Martin

From the vocal tones to the guitar levels, from the thickness of the bass lines to the pleasant, tight sound of the kit, the mix is superb and the CD is rockin’. Local band A Current Affair has done it again with their new CD entitled The Real Devastation. I had thought that Life In An Hourglass, in spite of a couple rough spots, was a great release; but there is a sense of continuity with this new release, from the cover of the CD all the way to the lyrics of the songs. This CD was originally an EP with only five of the seven songs originally recorded, and was re-released on June 27, 2010.

Style-wise, the sound has lost its screamo elements and they’ve opted for a more melodic feel. Rest assured, this doesn’t mean that they’ve gone soft; you’ll know exactly what I mean when the first track kicks off. A Current Affair has accomplished a perfect balance – addition by subtraction – an edgier style of rock with a heavy feel that still manages to maintain a balance.

Lyrically, The Real Devastation is a mixed bag; they craft a set of seven songs that speak to you on a number of levels. There are songs that deal with everyday issues and situations that we all face from time to time. Fears. Hopes. Joys. Doubts.

Here’s an example from the song “Explorer”, it says, “every road has come to an end / and it seems as though I’ve reached every one of them / and I have no words to describe / how bad I want to be myself / but in this mirror I see somebody else”.

Or there’s “The Search” a desperate plea, “my face is buried in your hands / and I’m falling to my knees tonight / wishing to be more than what I am / just trying to find my place in life / am I stuck here waiting on you / I’m wasting away here / and it’s true that what I’ve said is something I cannot do / you’ve already said I’m not that strong / with everything I’ve done so wrong / I’ve already ran so far from home / will you be the one that finds me”.

This was simply an outstanding CD and one of the best I’ve heard so far this year. I can live without the screamo, no problem, simply because what they offer in place of it is so much more than they lost.

Listen to some of their music on their MySpace page
You can follow them on Twitter @ACurrentAffair

Cara Martin is 19 and is an ongoing contributor to our Teen Talk section; with hopes of minoring in either journalism or art, she enjoys writing and almost every type of art.