Listen up: 30 Seconds to Mars

Jared Leto makes successful leap from actor to musician

Howie Rosell / Reviewer

Harmonious and heavy with surreal and spiritual undertones, 30 Seconds to Mars' sophomore album, "A Beautiful Lie," will easily be one of the best CDs of 2005. With the release of the album and a music video for the first single, "Attack," expect big things from actor-turned-musician Jared Leto's band in the near future. The band has appeared on the Conan O'Brien Show and Letterman in the past and will be on Last Call With Carson Daly on Oct. 4.

Front man Jared Leto has appeared most notably in "Requiem for a Dream" and "Alexander" with Colin Farrell. Is it possible that an actor-turned-musician can be this talented? With failures such as Dogstar (Keanu Reeves) and The Accelerators (Bruce Willis), it's understandable to be weary of listening to "A Beautiful Lie." This album is an inspiration and does not set the bar, but rather creates it.

Leto has described the album as a " raw emotional journey, a story of life, love, death, pain, joy and passion. Of what it is to be human."

Compared to their debut, this album takes their old sound and amplifies it with grittier and more personal lyrics. The band credits the raw feel of the CD to never over-thinking material. With only a few takes for every track, an overall almost-live feel is achieved. The album has a simple sound, and it works. Their self-titled debut album was much more spacey and less to the point; "A Beautiful Lie" cuts the fat and gets right down to business with tracks like the opener, "Attack."

The band's lyrical growth since their 2002 debut is nothing short of amazing. In place of four minute electronic introductions to every song, they cut back and right the chase. Leto bares it all in this new album with gritty, real and honest lyrics.

Contact Howie Rosell at pendulum@elon.edu or 278-7247.