Review Summary: Falling Up, well, does just that with the always-interesting Dawn Escapes.
In many ways, sophomore albums can be the most difficult of an artist's career. It's all in trumping your debut, which in the case of Falling Up, seems unlikely, but I can proudly say that Dawn Escapes is everything Falling Up wanted for Crashings, but better. Falling Up ditches the pop fluff here, which is an inspired move for such a mature group. Dawn Escapes singles out the similarity to Falling Up and "pop-punk." Not that I have anything against pop-punk, but Falling Up's signature "pash rock" sound is truly innovative. Falling Up is an alternative rock band at heart that laces the band's nü metal edge with Jessy Ribordy's strong vocal, which is as accessible as power pop but as rock-friendly as post-grunge. Falling Up truly has a harder edge here, yet there is more piano, strings, brass, synths and electro beats in between the excellent jams, a perfect trimming that adds a new dimension to Dawn Escapes' production. Everything about Dawn Escapes sounds better than the already excellent Crashings, from the band's new passion to Michael Elvis Baskette's top notch production. Also notable are the lyrics that accompany the soul searching sound; they're a perfect contrast to the band's powerhouse rock, with the poetic concept of searching for Him (God) whilst being surrounded by predators. It's a hard life, but the lone islander Falling Up's music highlights finds God in the end after a season of loneliness. It's a thought provoking story set to a killer rhythm section that is told perfect, both sonically and lyrically. Whether it's the tunes or the words, Falling Up always knows when to throw in a plot twist on Dawn Escapes. Recent remix album Exit Lights "highlights" a new post-rock influence, and I can't wait to see what this Oregon band cooks up next time.
Highlights (in order of highlightability): "Moonlit" (awesome hard rockin' track with lots of attitude and a punk chorus); "Cascades" (has that I-still-haven't-found-what-I'm-looking-for vibe; literally makes a boring day at home feel like a day at the beach); "Contact" (the band's piano ballad, just soft piano, synth arps and killer lyrics); "Exit Calypsan" (warning: if you have a roommate, this does not make good bedtime listening as you will be prompted to sing along); "Intro the Gravity" (another softer song, this one's synth-driven and sounds so ethereal); "Fearless" (the hook is impossibly charming).
