Monotony never has a good connotation. Whatever Lance Williams, a.k.a. Darling Waste, is trying to accomplish by repeating the same lines over and over, is nothing more than a waste of time.

His songwriting is juvenile, his lyrics trite. Although "Fairy Under Finger" claims, "You said to me one time, 'only write songs with one person in mind'," it's more likely the person really said "only write songs that rhyme". Because that's about all that Darling Waste accomplishes - lots of repetitive rhyming.

By the time the third track, "Nothing Special", rolls around, it's clear that that's The Truth - nothing special. Actually the title track is the only tune that really stands out on the album - and the actual truth is the lyrics are so whiny, and the gratuitous instrumentation (a couple of whimsical notes on a flute) so empty, that no one's left listening.

Just for kicks, though, Williams adds eight more tracks, which explore as much profundity as "told me…hold me…show me…scold me" ("Not Around") and encourage about as much empathy as "I bust my ass to make you happy, I bust my ass to make you proud" possibly can.

The worst part of the whole album (presuming we could pick just one), however, isn't the lyrics; it's the pseudo-dramatic guitar progressions. If it's Darling Waste's intention to tell a story, maybe he should dig through Pete Yorn's wastebasket for some inspiration.

A. Koledin