Review / 200 Words Or Less
The Oswald Effect
Love & Sabotage

Independent (2008) Sean K.

The Oswald Effect – Love & Sabotage cover artwork
The Oswald Effect – Love & Sabotage — Independent, 2008

This looked promising when it first showed up in the mail. But as some wise person once said, looks can be deceiving. This Seattle four-piece certainly have their chops together, but the styles presented here are such a mish mash that it's hard to swallow. Musically they are rocking enough, but vocally I just couldn't get into them. The singer sounds like a cross between the dude from Shudder to Think and those guys in Muse. Considering that Muse's singer just blatantly tries to sound like Thom Yorke, that's not a good start. In a roundabout way, I'm trying to spit it out that I'm just not a fan of the vocals. But maybe you will end up digging Love & Sabotage, but this is definitely not something I'll ever slide into the player again.

2.0 / 10Sean K. • February 25, 2009

The Oswald Effect – Love & Sabotage cover artwork
The Oswald Effect – Love & Sabotage — Independent, 2008

Recently-posted album reviews

Eater

The Lost 1978 Sessions
Cleopatra (2025)

Hopefully everyone reading this already knows that Eater was one of the early British punk bands. Forming in North London in 1976, Eater was one of the youngest bands in the burgeoning UK punk scene, with the members being aged 14-17 at the band’s inception. Eater issued a series of singles and one album for The Label between 1977-1978 before … Read more

Spark of Life

Plagued by the Human Condition
New Age Records (2025)

Spark Of Life hails from LA and has been around since the early 2000s. Their debut album dropped in 2003, but it took almost two decades to drop their newest album titled Plagued by the Human Condition. This album was released through New Age Records out of southern California, and it is worth checking out. If you’re familiar with New … Read more

The Dwarves

Sunshine, Lollipops & Rainbows
GREEDY (2025)

Sunshine, Lollipops & Rainbows is a live studio recording from 1989, released on picture disc earlier this year on limited vinyl for Record Store Day. Given that it came shortly before the release of Blood, Guts & Pussy, it's no surprise that it's heavy on songs from that record (10 of 14, if I've counted correctly). It's more primal than … Read more