Review Summary: "highly-charged and emotionally gripping album"
Stavesacre return from the stultifying heights of Absolutes with "Speakeasy," a more polished, more alternative-sounding, but still highly-charged and emotionally gripping album. There's more of a three-chord, punk aesthetic on songs like "Minuteman" and "Sundown Motel," while "Keep Waiting," "Gold and Silver," and "This Love" churn with an amped-up, U2-esque grandeur. "Rivers Underneath" is a behemoth song that chugs with mammoth power. Tougher-edged tunes like "You Know How It Is" and "Disquiet" hearken back to Absolutes with a furious, urgent intensity. There's even a cover of The Cure's "Fascination Street," admirably covered, thrown in for good measure.
While "Speakeasy" is a more accomplished and polished album than either of Stavesacre's prior two albums, its own gloss sometimes gets the best of it, as every song feels much more calculated. However, Mark Salomon's lyrics remain as insightful and rich as ever, as he explores his Christian faith with a noteworthy, real-world attitude and faithful heart. It remains their second-best album, behind the nearly flawless Absolutes.
One of the things that has always appealed to me about Mark Salomon's writing is that he strikes a terrific balance between being lost and yet hopeful. That's the theme of this album and I feel like, in many ways, that's the theme for much of my life. I guess that's why this strikes the chord that it does for me.
