Double Down are a rock quartet from Colorado with one full length CD, Still Motion, already under their belt. Their sophomore effort, Polarity, seems to be an exercise in writing pop rock that isn’t catered to the teeny-bopper crowd. Double Down are an older band, and their music reflects their experience in it’s obvious maturity. While some might be willing to brush aside a band of their caliber because they don’t have a pretty-boy singer or endorsement deals from chic fashion companies, that says more about the state of popular music than it does about the boys — make that men — of Double Down.
Polarity‘s opening track is “Icarus”, a near 5 minute piece centered around a catchy-as-hell guitar riff and a wonderfully understated bass line. The lyrics seem to be a metaphor for lead vocalist Jeff Browning’s focus and resolve in the musical world, he’s constantly trying to get ahead, but it seems like whenever he’s on the verge of that big break, he falters. Anyone who’s been an indie musician for more than just a couple of years can associate with that feeling of desperation.
Some of the best songs on the record have an 80s rock feel to them, from the hard hitting “Life I Breathe”, with a guitar riff that Axl Rose would love to get his hands, to it’s follow-up track “Better Days”, a more mellow melodic number that still has an edge and sort of reminds me of early Brian Adams. “Better Days” would be a great single because it’s sort of a “middle of the road” type track for these guys, between their harder range and their more chilled out tunes, like the singer/songwriter style of “Wrecking Ball”, which has great accents with an electric guitar running throughout the song to fill out the sound.
