 | Tracklist:
1. Everybody Gets One
2. There, Sort of Blue Grey
3. Dear Matt Pryor (Thanks for Everything)
Release Date: 2008 | |
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On 5 Lists
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| Summary: You'd be hard-pressed to find three better summer songs. |
3 of 3 thought this review was well written
If I was instructed do a quick summary of Bears & Bright Lights' sound, I would probably proceed to drop my clipboard in frustration and just scribble "identity crisis" all over the evaluation forms or whatever sort of papers I was given. The band's debut, self-titled EP is laudably mature, to the point where the New Jersey trio skip the long, winding path of finding their sound and dropping them straight at a crossroads between commercial and creative motives. For now, at least, they seem content to straddle the two, resulting in a three-song debut that would draw the envy of more than a few much more experienced bands.
Bears & Bright Lights label themselves as ambient rock/emo, but that's tremendously misleading if assumed to be true in its entirety. While the band does have tendencies for some intriguing instrumental sections, they're pop-punk at heart, albeit a bit slower and grimmer than many of their counterparts. Indeed, each of the three songs has a sharp, sorrowful edge to it-- think (dare I say it) the little sister of Your Favorite Weapon/Deja Entendu-era Brand New. Although they're not quite at the level of heads flying through windshields, the cuts, especially lyrically, play perfectly into a lonely summer night. "Dear Matt Pryor (Thanks for Everything)" holds the truest to this, with its chorus of "I'll forever be watching fireworks in paring lots" finding it easy to echo around in listeners' heads.
The band does play close to their self-proclaimed description at times, however, as "There, Sort of Blue Grey" is easily the most ambient of the three tracks, lacking the spark of its counterparts but staying slick and mature throughout its entirety. All of the song's three minutes call for a pop-punk climax, but the trio displays their maturity and keep the track tight and in check, rarely venturing past a whisper. "Everybody Gets One" is more the opposite-- the prechorus hook of "la-da-da-da-da" is a bit trite, but vocalist Zach West delivers it with such earnestness that it becomes fresh, especially when the song breaks into an explosive chorus of "unfinished lines and wasted time." "Matt Pryor" is the poppiest of the trio, but also the most catchy.
When West delivers the final hook in "Matt Pryor" of "we were never perfect," I find myself agreeing with him-- but Bears & Bright Lights are as close to perfection as anyone could have expected on their debut. Whether they decide to take their creativity to the next level or further commercialize their already somewhat commercialized sound is anyone's guess, but this is a band worth keeping an eye on. At the very least, keep a copy of Bears & Bright Lights in the backseat this summer-- God knows you'll need it at one point or another.
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| Recent reviews by this author | | | |
Album Rating: 5
The system totally screwed up here and created like four copies of the same album, but while I try to fix it give this a listen on their myspace: http://www.myspace.com/bearsandbrightlights and buy it on itunes-- it's really good stuff.
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I demand a tracklist! Have a pos though.
| | | Album Rating: 5
Agh one of the multiple copies of this album has one, hopefully once the mods get to this it'll all be taken care of. I think it goes...
1- Everybody Gets One
2- There, Sort of Blue Grey
3- Dear Matt Pryor (Thanks for Everything)
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Got it ;)
Digging: Art By Numbers - Reticence: The Musical
| | | Album Rating: 5
Thanks for the help, Willie, much appreciated. I edited the '&' if it helps any.
| | | Album Rating: 4
Awesome review dude. This is a great find. Pos.
Digging: The Flashbulb - Arboreal Digging: The Flashbulb - Arboreal | | | Album Rating: 5
Thanks man, I actually love this band (thus giving a 3 song EP a 4 haha). Really excited to see where they go from here
| | | Album Rating: 4
Same here. They have lots of potential. I'd like to see where they can go from here as well. I think it's pretty funny that, including you and myself, there are only on of the 3 top listeners for this artsist on last.fm now.
| | | Album Rating: 4
arg double post
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I feel bad saying this because I know you love this guys who I usually agree with, but this was just really dull... and I actually think the poor singer is afflicted by Chad Kroeger syndrome.
| | | Album Rating: 5
as happy as i am that this has gotten more attention, that makes me really sad Sea. i am actually in love with this.
edit: also just curious what's chad kroeger syndrome?
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Great review, can't thank you enough for helping me find this pos'd
Digging: Chromatics - Kill For Love | | | Album Rating: 5
okay everyone here needs to check this out: http://www.sputnikmusic.com/soundoff.php?albumid=70862
it's essentially a follow-up to this. nearly the same lineup.
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Band broke up :'(
| | | Album Rating: 5
that they did, but look up gates or the vinyls, both have former members. gates is the more emo/post-rock side of this, the vinyls are the more pop-punk side
also i think this review needs a rewrite badly
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