CRAVING STRANGE is a band I was turned onto via the Internet. Their sound is firmly within the modern rock confines but with a certain pop twist, sort of like what you’d get if you mixed the hard-edged sound of the FOO FIGHTERS with alternative styling of JIMMY EAT WORLD and threw in a smidgen of the far ahead of their time FAITH NO MORE and topped it all off with pop sensibilities.

Although CRAVING STRANGE are a young act, they’ve got two independent releases under their belt already in the form of 2008’s “Tonight We Die” EP and the full-length “Savior Self”, which was released back in the late summer of 2009.

Even though “Savior Self” has been out awhile this New York band are continually working hard on the live circuit and have even just released some new music, namely a re-worked version of the BRITNEY SPEARS… yes BRITNEY… song “Hold It Against Me”, which you can check out on youtube.

But back to the topic at hand… and that is the “Savior Self” record.

The disc features eleven tracks of promising modern rock with touches of alternative and even some progressive sounds, which are all held together with commercial appeal. It’s pretty evident from just one listen that this band is talented and they know their way around the craft of writing a song. I like the little twists and turns they incorporate into their sound as they present a bevy of influences on their journey through the record.

The album opens with “Awake And Alone”, which is a hard-hitting number with some aggressive metal-like guitar riffs and pounding drums. The song is faced-paced and reminds of the more energetic moments of the FOO FIGHTERS with its hard rock/metal vibe. The vocals aren’t quite in the same tone as that of Dave Grohl’s but remind more of the JIMMY EAT WORLD (pop) style.

A more commercial sound comes with the song “Tonight We Die For” and the track seems made for radio success. As I said previously, it’s obvious the band knows how to craft a tune and that is evident on a song like this.

CRAVING STRANGE throws a little bit of a progressive nuance into “Out The Window” as some well-used keys help maintain a commercial vibe. Although it’s evident the band has many influences, it’s the way they meld them together in a bold statement that makes “Savior Self” an interesting listen and even makes the album a bit of “grower” as you find new intricacies with each spin.

“In My Skin” continues with an “alt-prog” (is that a genre?) style in the verse but has a hook-filled chorus and the guitars shine on this one and even remind me a bit of TONIC’s Jeff Russo but with a much cleaner tone.

“Keepers Are Killers” is a guitar-driven number with some great riffs and more aggressiveness in its attitude. The vocals of Jimmy Gerovac are great on this track as he tackles the song with great conviction.

“Eyes Can’t Meet” is one of the stronger tracks on offer as CRAVING STRANGE comes off sounding a bit AOR-ish on this track. It’s modern yet melodic as hell and has a great arrangement. There are some great guitars on this one and I get a bit of a TONIC vibe again on this one. Overall the song is a real winner.

The title track “Savior Self” is up next and the song gets a bit aggressive and groovy with the vocals and killer guitars being a highlight. The following track “Crawlspace” is yet another highlight of the record as the band does just as the first line of the song says… “Take out the violins”. You get some string sounds to add to the moody nature of the song and it has another great arrangement. Killer tune!

“Make Me Weak” has a driving rhythm with great vocals from Gerovac and the following track, “A Place That Doesn’t Rain” is the only ballad on offer on the record. And what a ballad it is. The acoustics back some great lyrics like the opening line of “If everything was as easy as planned, we would be here and more than just memories”. Gerovac turns in another killer vocal performance as the song builds.

“Savior Self” ends with “It’s Life” and the song is a hard-driving modern rocker with attitude. It’s a fitting end to a record full of varying styles from CRAVING STRANGE but is held together with a certain sound that is completely their own.

High marks to the band for this release and definitely an act to keep and eye on for the future.