The ability to dance with daggers without injuring yourself or someone else, requires extreme concentration and tons of practice. Let's apply this concept of striving to succeed in doing something potentially dangerous--like entering the perilous realm of the music industry--to the rocking girls of Magneta Lane and their new album Dancing with Daggers.

With the release of the band's debut EP Constant Lover a couple of years back, Magneta Lane voiced their determination to prevail in the music industry; however, the group's efforts on Dancing with Daggers show they require a lot more practice and vision. The disc sounds like two EPs put together haphazardly. The band shifts between a hard rock-punk edge and a ska-indie rock vibe without finding a happy medium. The first half of the album consists of interchangeable loud, fast-paced, bass-heavy tracks with nearly inaudible vocals. Magneta Lane redeem themselves in the latter half with catchy, danceable tunes like "Secrets Aren't So Bad" and "Artistic Condition," where vocalist Lexi is louder and clearer, demonstrating a nice, sultry voice.

Lexi, in a description of Dancing with Daggers, says the songs "are written about personal thoughts with more honesty and time to think." With the most of the tracks clocking in at less than three minutes, there's not enough time to consider personal thoughts, the album just lacks that substance. If recording an album is anything like trying to shake your body along with small, pointy knives, Magneta Lane require a sharper focus and more practice.