Breach of Contract

Breach may be the Wallflowers' third album, but it's got all the markings of a sophomore slump.

Three years ago the Wallflowers were the next big thing. Their second album, and first major release, Bringing Down the Horse, was an impressive pop-rock album with some hints of country. The album posted three top ten singles and earned the band a pair of Grammys. Led by the strength of their second single, "One Headlight," the band betrayed the engaging humility that their name suggests.

It took years to come out with another album, but if fans were hoping for anything new or inspired, they'd better wait for a few more. With a name like Breach, you expect this record to expand the band's boundaries. Instead, I'm awaiting the false advertising lawsuit-Breach is no more inventive than a copy-cat killer. This album sounds like ten tracks that missed the cut for the previous one. There's nothing different musically here-same riffs, same rhythms and the same hint of twang.

It would've been nice if lead singer/songwriter Jakob Dylan had tried something more inventive, but he doesn't have his dad's daring. He remains only Jakob Dylan, son of the legendary you-know-who.

Breach's first single, "Sleepwalker," sounds "One Headlight" with a slightly faster tempo. Getting a copy of the album on vinyl might be fun-that way you see if slowing down revealed the words, "Come on drive a little / nothing is forever," or maybe "Pop is dead." Sadly, "Sleepwalker" is one of the best cuts on this highly forgettable outing.

Because the music is interchangeable, I turned to the lyrics to help separate good from bad. I don't recommend doing this with most bands-especially Oasis, whose lyrics are often less lucid than their last drug binge. But with the Wallflowers, some lyrical analysis is a good idea. Jakob Dylan, for all his musical flaws, is one hell of a writer.

Two cuts from this album stand out lyrically-"Letters from the Wasteland" and "Some Flowers Bloom Dead." "Wasteland" captures the haunting emotion that this band displays best. Dylan proves to be an effective spokesperson for disappointment and feeling trapped: "Now another bad idea gets through / Down the Assembly Line to You / You're every bridge I should have burned / every lesson I've unlearned." "Flowers" follows the same theme: "Now in another world / I could learn to forget / But 'til then I'm here / Making room for new regrets." Every band may have a dozen songs about feeling depressed and lonesome and trapped by success, but none of their other songwriters have the greatest American poet as their father. I don't think Jakob Dylan will unlearn that.

Ultimately, the Wallflowers probably won't regret this album. The public seems to only want more of the same, and the album smells like platinum-maybe even a Grammy contender. Still, it would be nice if the Wallflowers would try some of the musical meanderings U2 and R.E.M. have sometimes succeeded with. As it is, this album is about to Breach my pile of dusty, old and largely forgotten post-Grammy followups.