Low Level Flight Stays Grounded

February 19th, 2007 posted by robb

Low Level Flight
Diesel Playhouse – 02.11.07
6/10

As the lights dimmed, Diesel Playhouse house staff announced a special guest would be performing at their weekly comedy show entitled: "Sunday Night Live." What ensued was a close encounter with a “C-list” celebrity rising out from the woodwork with a revamped look and sound – and by “C” I mean "Canadian". Canadian Idol.

Ryan Malcolm was the first winner of Canadian Idol. Four years ago, he was known as the small-town heartthrob to underage girls and stay-at-home moms everywhere. But the gentleman who came out of the curtains that night was not the clean-cut pop idol we’ve come to know. Rather, Malcolm dropped his thick-framed ‘geek-chic’ image with West49 skater digs and a tattoo to match. Now fronting a pop-punk band called Low Level Flight, Malcolm closed the comedy night as special encore guests. I was willing to sit through his night-capping performance to see how much he has changed since his last Idol performance (and also get my money’s worth).

To make things short, his music matched his new look. Most songs consisted of open chords and sounds that rooted mostly in the generic pop-punk genre. As a winner of Idol, I was surprised Malcolm did not write songs that showcased his voice. “Hate You” for example, did not break away from typical teen angst music, currently saturating the market. “Change For Me” – the first single off LLF’s debut album – begins first with a cheesy, 4-note synth opener reminiscent to that of educational videos on Space Network. My heart sank, as it seemed as if Malcolm jumped from one stereotype to another.

To LLF’s defense, it is only their second live performance and the kinks of generating a tighter sound progressively improved. It is also harsh to pass judgment on a band without hearing their studio album first.

As a frontman, Malcolm was pleasantly personable. It was welcoming to see Malcolm’s passion for his songs as he took the time to explain each one, including a heartfelt song about his brother’s drug addiction. Despite delays in-between sets, he would make up for it in self-deprecating humor: “You can find our CD on sale at second hand stores soon” he jokes. Having seen the instability of the music industry these days, it is comforting to know that Malcolm can still acknowledge it.

The moniker of "ex-idol winner" will follow Malcolm around for the rest of his life, so it would only be wise for him to embrace it. Changed image or not, the music he played still sounded generic; it’s now simply in a different genre. My friend classified it best when she said: “this reminds me of a local high school talent show!”

I guess talent always has potential.

REVIEWED BY: PHILIP LEUNG

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