As a result of going through the mainstream rock list for the first time as an outsider, this is the first time I got to take an in-depth look at songs by a host of bands I had heard for many years but had never heard a song from.  One of these bands, a band from Michigan that has scored five number ones on the Mainstream Rock chart, is featured first on this list.  Unfortunately, they did not make a good first impression.

“Work” – Pop Evil

Mainstream Rock
#8 peak, #29 year end

A big problem in the rock music world over the last decade has been bands attempting to combine electronic elements with their standard rock sound.  There are ways to get this right with Linkin Park’s Meteora probably being the best known example, but so many bands can’t get it right.  And that brings us to this song.

One note about this song is despite the inclusion of synths and electronic beeps and bloops, you will not have to worry about Pop Evil selling out.  This is rock through and through – it’s a dark, grimy song with an angry tone and brooding guitar riffs.  So we have our music set to match a bleak tale of a dead-end job in the midst of the growth of social media taking away our privacy.  Execution can be a whole other story…

The production and mixing in this song is a disaster.  While there are many aspects of a song to analyze from lyrics to singing, this song is here solely because of the music and how it was handled.  Throughout the song, the main guitar riff is too low in the mix when contrasted to the electronic effects, which is surprising because the lead guitar riffs later in the verses come in well.  The moment when the song takes a turn for the worse, however, is the drop (yes, they happen in rock songs now too).  After Leigh Kakaty bellows at the end of the chorus, “All I do is work,” the synths and guitar clash in a battle for sound supremacy.  Neither side wins and the result is a complete mess that lacks any tightness or control.  The synth blasts at random moments, and the guitar riff is buried under the drums and synths, to the point that it is hard to distinguish what notes are being played at what point.  The stop/start effect during the drop also messes up the timing of the rhythm, making it sound choppy and badly put together.  It makes it sound less like the song was recorded at a professional recording studio and more like it was recorded at Joe’s Auto Garage in Saint Johns, Michigan.

After the bridge, we get to the concluding solo, where the song falls apart.  Nick Fuelling’s guitar solo consists of two parts, which serve as the final nail regarding just how badly this song was produced and mixed.  Fuelling tries to demonstrate his ability as a guitar player in the first part with some varied guitar playing, but good luck telling what he’s playing because his solo is buried under a mass of drums, synths, the chorus riff from earlier, more screams of “WORK!”, and a trap beat (yep!).  Then in the second part of his solo, Fuelling gets the benefit of much better mixing so we get to hear what he’s playing.  The part that is focused on consists of… two notes.  With the exception of a brief trill at the very end of the solo, that’s all we get.  Amazing.  The good guitar playing is buried while the first month guitar playing is highlighted.  Priorities!

The end result is a song that makes you feel like you’re running a sprint for the entire 3:54 running time, even when you’re sitting in a chair listening to it.  Leigh Kakaty may have explained that all he does is work, but the most work involved with this song is the work one has to go through to listen to it.