Album Review: The Ready Set – I Will Be Nothing Without Your Love
2 min read
While electronics have always been a large part of Jordan Witzigreuter’s music as The Ready Set, I Will Be Nothing Without Your Love marks his full descent into synthpop. By removing the rock elements that were present even on the singles of his previous album The Bad & The Better, the pop elements get the chance to come out in full force; While the end result still feels very much like a Ready Set album, it throws more of a spotlight on the flaws in his music as well.
As the music becomes more accessible, the juvenile nature of Witzigreuter’s lyrics and music begin to stand out as well; the seven years since his debut have done little to shape or change the attitude of his music, even though the sound has transformed. Admittedly they differ little from the style in which a 26 year old synthpop artist would deliver their work, but the tone of his vocals remains the main throwback to his emo days, which in conjunction may not be to everyone’s taste.
This is only one of the album’s faults, though, with the general sound being another major issue: At its core, while the fluffy synthpop style that dominates the album is endearing, it’s a style that wears thin over the course of the album, with the reggae flavour of No Love and the alt pop ballad style of See You acting as much needed breaks from the monotony. Across twelve tracks, the only seriously impactful moment is easily Good Enough, whose tropical melodies and booming beats command your attention and convey more stylistic and emotional points than the remainder of the album ever tries to carry.
I Will Be Nothing Without Your Love isn’t even all that unenjoyable; it never even manages to reach that level of impact. Instead, it remains as a largely forgettable piece of work, getting your hopes up with its strongest cut early on and never really engaging listeners beyond that point. While his move to a less natural sound makes sense from a career perspective, in truth, the loss of any distinct flavour to his music ends up leaving I Will Be Nothing Without Your Love a far more mediocre release than it had to be, and will inevitably end up fading into the background with time.
