30 Seconds To Mars

Put your preconceived notions of actors doing music aside for a second. Forget Keanu Reeves, Russell Crowe and Bruce Willis. Poster boy Jared Leto’s band, 30 Seconds to Mars, is offering up a solid sound on their self-titled debut CD. "Buddha for Mary” is a slickly produced track and utilises lots of nicely placed samples (the piano was striking) and Shannon Leto’s capable vocals (a sibling, I assume). This epic record has conceptual similarities to bands like Queensrÿche and Depeche Mode (although they have been seeing a lot of comparisons to Pink Floyd and Rush so far). But 30 Seconds to Mars approaches songs like "Capricorn (A Brand New Name)” and "Welcome to the Universe” in a unique way, considering their time. They aren’t a straight-ahead rock band; they are stretching their musical borders and representing something that is a little different. But the veiled yet extreme effort to hide the obvious presence of Mr. Leto’s involvement in the band is ironic. You should be proud to present this record to your adoring fans, Jared; it sure is a lot better than your films.