Yours For The Taking is a band familiar to Otterbein students. The alternative-rock band formed in 2007 and was previously introduced to students through a Tan & Cardinal article. The band is comprised of four friends. Brothers Tyler and Tom Hammond collaborated with their friends Nathan Lawler and Trae Myers to form the band that is known today as Yours For The Taking.
Throughout the album, listeners will hear Nathan Lawler, playing lead guitar and vocals; Trae Myers, playing bass and vocals; Tyler Hammond, playing rhythm guitar and vocals and Tom Hammond, playing drums. They wrote, recorded and produced the album themselves at Creekbend Studios in Pickerington, Ohio.
Yours For The Taking released their album Thursday, Sept. 26. In celebration of their album release, they held a CD release party at Scarlet and Grey Cafe in Columbus. At the release party, they held a meet and greet, followed by a performance of songs on the album, a break to take photos and answer questions and ended the party by performing cover songs.
While there is no doubt about the musical talent of the band members, there was not a significant amount of originality in their music. Certain songs were catchy and original-sounding, but several were similar to the songs of artists that it is apparent inspired the sound of Yours For The Taking.
The musical style of Yours For The Taking relates largely to that of the Black Keys, as they use many similar melodies and electric guitar effects, providing a sort of rock ‘n’ roll feel. The vocals, on the other hand, are similar to the pop-punk sound of Green Day’s Billie Jo.
Throughout the album, there is much inconsistency with the band’s sound. There is a constant switch between an old-school rock ‘n’ roll style and a modern, alternative-rock style. This may be both a good thing and a bad thing, depending on how fans react.
Style variation from song to song will keep fans from experiencing boredom with the album; however, it may also cause frustration to the fans who want consistency and to hear a particular style of music. It isn’t apparent if Yours For The Taking is intentionally changing up their style throughout the album or if the band is simply still trying to find a sound to call their own.
Yours For The Taking is a band that incorporates a slightly confusing, yet interesting mix of grungy 90s-style rock, alternative-punk rock, an added element of funk and even some rapping throughout the verses of a couple of the songs. Given more time to develop their sound and originality, Yours For The Taking has the potential to become a Columbus favorite.
