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Early 2000s, rock made in the USA makes a strong comeback, as evidenced by the critical and sales success of Foo Fighters, Queens Of The Stone Age, Audioslave, and others. However, the Canadian neighbors are not just standing by; concurrently with the musical/commercial phenomenon of Nickelback, there is the rise of Theory Of A Deadman.
The connection between the two bands is strong; it was indeed Nickelback’s leader Chad Kroeger who helped Tyler Connolly, songwriter and guitarist for Theory, to emerge from obscurity.
After the release of the self-titled "Theory Of A Deadman" and their collaboration on the Spiderman soundtrack "Hero" (with J. Scott of "Saliva" and Kroeger himself), Tyler Connolly and company release "Gasoline" in 2005. Despite the style leaning heavily on the typical post-grunge that is very popular these days, the Vancouver band shows they know what they're doing.
The opening track "Hating Hollywood" is energetic and gritty in sound, rebellious and anti-conformist in the lyrics (translate title). As you move through the tracks, the brilliant "Santa Monica" sounds like a superbly crafted super hit; Connolly sings about a lost love (a somewhat clichéd theme), still, maximum respect for the feelings.
For the rest, it’s noteworthy how the album recalls the Nickelback style, certainly with a rougher sound and a voice, Connolly's, even warmer and more engaging than his colleague's. Must-listen tracks include "Say Goodbye", "Me And My Girl" and the gritty "Save The Best For Least".
A note of demerit for Tyler Connolly: the lyrics are a tad monothematic (the shadow of his lost love, a supposed ex, hovers in "Santa Monica", "Say Goodbye", "Since You’ve Been Gone", and beyond), credit to the band in general: the album can be enjoyed by anyone, especially the people of Seattle who might dust off some lovely old memories.
Rock from the great prairies is yielding several good results, "Gasoline" is certainly one of the best.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
03 No Surprise (03:40)
Friday is when you left me
So I'll drink myself to sleep
And Sunday is when I'll wake up
Not to remember a thing
My friends all say the same thing
I don't know my new girl too well
(I know)
That all this lying gets to me
And no one seems to give a shit
(The way)
She talks to every guy in the bar
(I guess)
It should've raised some kind of alarm
Who'd ever think I'd go and end up
Like all the other guys that you've gone and fucked
Well it ain't no surprise
That you turn me on and leave
It ain't no surprise
That you turn it around on me
I don't know why
You won't give me what I need
It ain't no surprise
That that bitch is leavin' me
My friends are mean to me
They say I don't break up too well
(They know)
All this crying gets to me
And no one seems to give a shit
Well I know you want to
So go on and say it
Just go on and say it
Just go on and say it
Well it ain't no surprise
That you turn me on and leave
It ain't no surprise
That you turn it around on me
I don't know why
You won't give me what I need
It ain't no surprise
That that bitch is leavin' me
(Leavin' me)
Friday is when you left me
So I drank myself to sleep
And Sunday I never woke up
Well it ain't no surprise
That you turn me on and leave
It ain't no surprise
That you turn it around on me
I don't know why
You won't give me what I need
It ain't no surprise
That that bitch is leavin' me
That that bitch is leavin' me
04 Quiver (02:51)
You'd leave me at the side of the road to die
(You'd leave me at the side of the road to die)
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
You don't need me anymore to listen to your lies
(You don't need me anymore to listen to your lies)
I won't be no fool for you any longer
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Well it's me, myself, and I
Quiver at the thought of you
Me, myself, and I
Quiver at the thought of being alone
What makes me sick,
What makes me quiver
It's the thought of being alone
Like a needle in a haystack with nowhere to hide
(Like a needle in a haystack with nowhere to hide)
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Like a wing- clipped eagle who's waiting to fly
(Like a wing- clipped eagle who's waiting to fly)
No I won't be trapped in you any longer
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Well it's me, myself, and I
Quiver at the thought of you
Me, myself, and I
Quiver at the thought of being alone
What makes me sick,
What makes me quiver
It's the thought of being alone
What make me sick
What makes me quiver
Quiver
Well it's me, myself, and I
Quiver at the thought of you
Me, myself, and I
Quiver at the thought of being alone
What makes me sick,
What makes me quiver
It's the thought of being alone
What makes me sick,
What makes me quiver
Well it's me, myself, and I
Quiver at the thought of you
Me, myself, and I
Quiver at the thought of being alone
05 Santa Monica (04:06)
She fills my bed with gasoline
You think I woulda noticed
Her mind's made up, the love is gone
I think someone's trying to show us a sign
That even if we thought it would last
The moment would pass
My bones will break and my heart will give
Oh it hurts to live
And I remember the day when you left for Santa Monica
You left me to remain with all your excuses for everything
And I remember the time when you left for Santa Monica
And I remember the day you told me it's over
It hurts to breathe
Well every time that you're not next to me
Her mind's made up, the girl is gone
And now I'm forced to see
I think I'm on my way
Oh, it hurts to live today
Oh and she says, "Don't you wish you were dead like me?"
And I remember the day when you left for Santa Monica
You left me to remain with all your excuses for everything
And I remember the time when you left for Santa Monica
And I remember the day you told me it's over
I wanted more than this
I needed more than this
I deserve more than this
But it just won't stop
It just won't go away
I needed more than this
I wanted more than this
I asked for more than this
But it just won't stop
It just won't go away
And I remember the day when you left for Santa Monica
You left me to remain with all your excuses for everything
And I remember the time when you left it all behind
And I remember the day you told me it's over
And I remember the day when you left for Santa Monica
You left me to remain with all your excuses for everything
And I remember the time when you left for Santa Monica
Yeah, I remember the day you told me it's over
06 Better Off (02:51)
Well I've packed my bags
I'm moving on
Yes I've been waiting far too long
'Cause living with you is like a hole in the head
I know that I'll soon be better off
'Cause living with you is like a hole in the head
I know, well I know that
I don't care about anyone
You know that I'm better off (better off)
Well I don't care about anyone
You know that I'm better off
Oh I've explained
Get off my back
Far too long that I've lost track
'Cause living with you is like a hole in the head
I know that I'll soon be better off
'Cause living with you is like a hole in the head
I know, well I know
That I don't care about anyone
You know that I'm better off (better off)
I don't care about anyone
You know that I'm better off
Is this is as good as it gets
And you know that
I don't care about anyone
You know that i'm better off, better off
I don't care about anyone
You know that I'm better off
I don't care about anyone
You know that I'm better off
I don't care about anyone
You know that I'm better off
I don't care about anyone
You know that I'm better off
I know that I'm better off
07 Say Goodbye (03:04)
She said Don't leave this up to me to say that I don't love you anyway
Just leave it up to me to say goodbye
'Cause these good times will never last
Keep a hand on the wheel and a foot on the gas
We thought it would last forever
I wish you'd just remember
No
Will anything change your mind?
(She said)
A one way ticket was a pretty good sign
(And I said)
Well how can you leave it all?
(And she said)
There ain't much to leave behind
Just say goodbye
So say goodbye
Say goodbye
So say goodbye
Just say goodbye
So say goodbye
Say goodbye
Next time I'll take it slow
And as for you I'll never know
At least next time I'll try to understand
So please don't leave this up to me to say that you don't love me anyway
I'll just leave it up to you to say goodbye
'Cause these good times will never last
Keep a hand on the wheel and a foot on the gas
We thought it would last forever
In case you don't remember
No
Will anything change your mind?
(She said)
A one way ticket was a pretty good sign
(And I said)
Well how can you leave it all?
(And she said)
There ain't much to leave behind
Just say goodbye
So say goodbye
Say goodbye
So say goodbye
Just say goodbye
So say goodbye
Say goodbye
Just say goodbye
Just say goodbye
Just say goodbye
Well, these good times will never last
Keep a hand on the wheel and your foot on the gas
We thought it would last forever
In case you can't remember
No
Will anything change your mind?
(She said)
A one way ticket was a pretty good sign
(And I said)
No
(And she said)
No
(And I said)
No
(And she said)
No
Just say goodbye
So say goodbye
Say goodbye
So say goodbye
Just say goodbye
So say goodbye
Say goodbye
08 Hello Lonely (Walk Away From This) (04:21)
Hello lonely
How you doin' today?
Hello sweet thing
Why don't you walk this way?
Hello, you again
How could you go and be so cold?
She said "Goodbye sad man"
Cuz all this pain is getting old
So why're you sad?
Don't you know that
It's you that holds my dreams and seems to always come back?
How do I live without you?
How could you walk away from this, just walk away from this again?
How do I live without you?
How could you walk away from this, just walk away from this?
Hello lonely
Now that you're gone I can move on
Goodbye sweet thing
Just know that I've been here all along
So why're you sad?
Don't you know that
It's you who holds my dreams and seems to always come back?
How do I live without you?
How could you walk away from this, just walk away from this again?
How do I live without you?
How could you walk away from this, just walk away from this again?
Again
Again
All those days you waste on me
I just can't let you go
So why're you sad?
Don't you know that
It's you who holds my dreams and seems to always come back?
How do I live without you?
How could you just walk away from this, just walk away from this again?
How do I live without you?
How could you just walk away from this, just walk away from this again?
How could you walk away?
(Again)
How could you walk away from this?
(Again)
Just walk away from this again
[Repeated until end of song]
10 Since You've Been Gone (04:18)
It seems that nothing ever goes my way
Since you broke my heart when you left that day
There's nowhere to go so just stay with me
Cuz since you've been gone, I've been beggin' you please
To tell me you're not alright
And you needed to come home
(Since you've been gone)
To tell me you're not okay
And you needed me all along
Since you've been gone
I need to hear from you
Since you've been gone
It seems that every time you swear to God that you're leaving
I'm down on my knees beggin' you to stay
There's nowhere to go so just stay with me
Cuz since you've been gone, I've been beggin' you please
To tell me you're not alright
And you needed to come home
(Since you've been gone)
To tell me you're not okay
And you needed me all along
Since you've been gone
Please don't leave me here alone
Just stay awhile
Make me smile
Please don't leave me here alone
Just stay awhile
And, baby, smile
Since you've been gone
I need to hear from you
Since you've been gone
I need to hear you say
Tell me you're not alright
And you needed to come home
(Since you've been gone)
Tell me you're not okay
And you needed me all along
Since you've been gone
I need to hear you say
Since you've been gone
Don't tell me
Don't tell me
I need to hear you say
11 Hell Just Ain't the Same (01:05)
Well I work all day and fight all night
With my girl who I treat right
Maybe just one day she'll go on and marry me
Well the meals' ain't made and the dishes ain't done
Just a whole lot of hurtin' for everyone
Well hell just ain't the same without you babe
Well hell just ain't the same without you babe
Well hell just ain't the same without you babe
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By The Wolf
The second album by Theory is bewildering. In a good way, of course.
These four brave young men greatly deserve success (certainly more than many other 'false gods' who cause a stir these days).
