Imagine this scenario: you visit your beloved local watering hole/dive bar and proceed to order your all-time favorite sandwich — the same combination you get every single time you go (the French Dip and garlic fries, in my case) — but it’s made by a fill-in cook because the regular chef is on vacation that week. It’s certainly edible…but definitely not up to par. That’s Apple of Discord: on paper they should be your “favorite sandwich.” All the ingredients are there…it’s good…but something is disturbingly askew. You’re Not the Answer harkens back to a time when emo and indie rock was still an underground movement and you could be melodic yet edgy, and sensitive yet violently passionate. Bands like Christie Front Drive played that card perfectly; their songs were all at once catchy, dramatic, swirling, and dynamic. Apple of Discord seems to be reaching for a similar aesthetic but falls short with jangly songs that are pleasant, but ultimately forgettable. Never mind that the vocalist always sounds like he’s just a pube short of being in tune or that the band has apparently never thought about using a hook or crescendo…this is disappointing because of the potential wasted on these ten utterly flat, punch-less tracks. Only the opener “Magic Lamp,” “Blowing Out The Sun,” and to some extent, “The World Will Never Defeat You” hint at an urgency and kinetic songwriting of which Apple of Discord are more than likely capable. This is an even-keeled album that lacks any tension or explosivity and ultimately reminds you that you could be listening to something a lot more interesting and exciting.

(Engineer Records, 210 William Street, Boonton, NJ 07005 )