These guys are one of the best indie acts out today. Despite having the video for Nowhere Again airing on MTV2 every once in a while, they were still not as widely noticed as they deserve to be.
In their first LP, it's very clear that they have a lot to offer the music world. They write and produce their own music, already showing they have more talent than many other bands more famous than they are.
I'm going to go over the tracks, then an overall album review. So if you want, you can go ahead and skip to the bottom.
First Wave Intact- After about 7 seconds of silence, the band explodes with a basic yet addictive drumline and all sorts of weird sounds effects. The lyrics of the song flow well rhythmically and the notes suit Benjamin Curtis' voice perfectly. The best part of the song comes at around 6:50, when his voice launches into a strange type of falsetto that just sound beautiful. The only downside to this track is the length. Some people don't enjoy long, 9 minute songs, and considering it's just the intro, it gives you the impression that the album might drag on a bit. 4/5
Sad and Lonely- Opening with some more weird effects, it feels a little bit repetitive if you listen to it right after the first track. The lyrics are good, but a bit too depressing since the rest of the song sounds a bit uplifting. Still a decent song though. 3/5
The Leaves Are Gone- Simply beautiful. The lyrics really spoke to me, though they are some what abstract. His voice is just amazing, and the production is really good. Don't take my word for it, experience it for yourself. 5/5
Nowhere Again- Their single I believe. The video showed up on MTV breifly in 2004. It's probably their most catchy tune, but not their best. It gets really enjoyable when Brandon takes the lead vocals. He isn't as good of a vocalist as his brother, but his voice works well with the lyrics. It seems to drag on a bit at the end though, and the song is very repetitive. Good, but not their best. 3and1/2 /5
The Road Leads Where It's Led- Another great track. The synth sounds are very inspired and original, as are the lyrics. Even though I don't really understand them, they are, again, very rhythmically in tune with the other parts of the song. The only negative about this is that their focus on the synthesizer gets a bit old by the time you hit this track. 4/5
Pharoah's Daughter- Yeah, their formula is getting really old by now. I would say more about the track, but it is very similair to many of the songs before it. 2/5
You Are Chains- A song in the vein of The Leaves Are Gone, it's just not quite as good. Starting off with a very basic yet beautfiul piano part, it soon goes into the vocals. He sounds good, but the lyrics are way to repetitive at the beginning. In the first 3 lines, he says the word chain as many times. At about the 3 minute marker it picks up a bit more, with an added drum beat and slightly more cheerful sounding backing effects. If it weren't for the start, it would be a bit better, but it's still amazing.
4/5
Light's On- This is a very strange sounding track. It feels very foreign and alien, yet welcoming at the same time. The chorus is pleasing, with the guitar line going well with the drum beat and the other effects also provide a nice atmosphere. The pitfall is the lyrics. Trying to sound paranoid, yet coming off more just weird. 3/4
Now Here is Nowhere- Basically sums up the entire album in an entertaining 9 minute mix, borrowing tracks from the earlier songs. If you liked the album before this, you will like this song too. 4/5
Over all, this album is one heck of a debut. For the most part, the lyrics are inventive and meaningfull. Also the backround guitar riffs, drum lines, bass riffs, piano lines and synth parts are all very effective to every song. Now Here Is Nowhere is somewhat similair to Radiohead's OK Computer in that it can open your mind to music and what it can be like. Too bad some of the songs can be so repetitive. 4/5
