Instant Winner mixes sounds from multiple genres; I don’t know whether to skank, mosh or headbang to their music, but deciding how to dance is about the only thing I am unsure about when it comes to this band. Thirteen Times is a veritable melting pot of different styles and sounds, ranging everywhere from metal riffs, to ska chords, to driving hard rock rhythms, and at one point even incorporates a pseudo-hardcore sing-along (in the song "Just Once"). This mish-mash blend of varying sounds gives the album a much more balanced feel than much of their previous work and gives each song its own unique identity. Just when I think I’ve got their sound and style figured out, the song will change and I’ll find myself just as baffled as I was a few minutes prior.

This 2007 release is a bit of a blast from the past (and I mean that in a very good way); the album has some solid roots in the late 90’s. Most prominent is the variety of Neal’s vocal styles, some late 90’s emo with a rock edge. Think early Saves The Day mixed with Less Than Jake, maybe even a little old AFI (pre ‘the art of drowning’) and at times (should I say it?) even a little Liam Gallagher. Quite a mix.

From start to finish, the album as a whole seems to have been very carefully constructed. Although each song on the album has its own distinct sound and characteristics, it forms a congruent, well crafted album when it’s all pieced together. Every individual track seems to flow well into the next, capped off by the similar intro-outro tracks which act as the metaphorical book-ends for the series of songs put in-between them.

In terms of the actual overall sound of this record, I was most impressed by how well each track was layered and the time spent on attention to detail. I found one such instance in the intro (as well as later parts in the song) of "Waiting to Love", which has subtly added keyboards that I didn’t notice until at least my second or third listen through. The other aspect, sound-wise, that I enjoyed most was the production quality of the vocals and guitar. Everything sounds perfectly smoothed out (or gritted up, depending on the intention of the song) without ever having the feel of being over-produced. Instant Winner has thankfully re-entered my life after a short hiatus, releasing a thirteen-track album in October, the band is fiercely coming back into the scene.

Reviewed by: Brian Anderson & Jacquee Swindle