In a genre that is all about commanding attention, The Author, Straight Reads the Line's debut album, seems to pass by without much notice, despite the fact that making hardcore was about grabbing the listener's attention in a death grip and not letting go for the entirety of an album.

Straight Reads the Line have a little of the frenetic pace and feel of fellow Ontarians Protest the Hero about them, but unfortunately the songs feel haphazard and not tremendously compelling. The tracks usually begin to get boring about halfway through and on an album where most of the songs are only two to three minutes long that is a serious problem. They are all definitely talented musicians, but every once in a while, the band just seems to fall into bouts of random disjointed wanking. Even the band's single, "Don't Go Out, There's Some Ruffians About," is not captivating for the full length of the song.

It's unfortunate, though. With more focused songwriting, Straight Reads the Line could be quite good. Perhaps when the time comes to release a second album, experience will have tempered their wandering tendencies somewhat.