Review Summary: Falling Ups sophomore record is better than their first. But on how many levels
Dawn Escapes is the second release from the alt rockers Falling Up. Their previous record smashed into the music business with massive success. It featured the hit singles Broken Heart, Bittersweet, and the underground hit JacksonFive. Their sophomore debut features more mature lyrics, written entirely through metaphors and odd meanings. This is my Track by Track review of the album.
01. Searchlights. The opening track of the album. Starts off with a cool synth thing, then the drums kick in and a metalized guitar starts playing a riff. The band kicks in to Falling Ups new, heavier, but not really style. A good song, but the chorus sounds repetitive with the Third song. 4/5
02. Exhibition. This song should have been a single. The chorus and playing in this song are better than the next song, which should not have been a single. Jesse’s singing is really good in this song, as are the lyrics.5/5
03. Flights. The first single of the album, but not really that good. It’s an okay song to begin with, but it doesn’t seem like a single to me. Overall good song, sounds similar to Searchlights. 4/5
04. Exit Calypsan{Only in my Dreams}. The second single of the album, which prompts you to go ahead and sing along. The lyrics are really good on this one. A.Dub really shines on the keys this time around. 4.5/5
05. Contact. Third single. Best song on the album. The ballad of the set, and a really good one at that. Has an interesting lyrical pattern and the chorus is truly awesome. Highly recommended.5/5
06. Moonlit. The first song I heard from Falling Up, so it holds great significance to me. The hardest song on the album, and the fastest. It’s a really enjoyable listen. This song is a reason to buy this CD. 4.9/5
This is the second half of the album which gets progressively worse. I don’t understand having a Killer first 6 songs, then making 6 almost filler tracks. It just doesn’t make sense to me.
07. Cascades. A close to filler track. The singer’s voice is starting to get on my nerves at this point. At least the lyrics are alright. 3/5
08.Meridians. Another close to filler track. The title is slightly interesting, so it gets a 2.5/5
09. Lights of Reedsport. Finally some fresh air. This is a great song, especially compared to the preceding 2 songs. The lyrics are a little weird having to do with feeling Christ through being erased. Comes of a little negative, but its still a good song. 4.8/5
10. Marathons. A good song with great lyrics. But it could easily slide into the filler niche if it wasn’t careful. 4/5
11. Fearless. I think I know what happened here. Falling Up decides to write 6 killer catchy songs (the first half). Then write 6 songs with bad music, but good lyrics. Fearless is the perfect example of this cliché. 4/5
12. Intro the Gravity. Again, could qualify as a Filler track, but the synths on this song are awesome. I tip my hat to Mr. A Dub for pulling this song of perfectly. The synths are the only reason it’s worth a listen. 4.5
Pros
Contact
Good Lyrics
Great music
Cons
Repetitive
Second half failure
Jesse’s singing gets annoying after a while.
Recommended Tracks
The Singles
Exhibition
Contact (again because it’s worth it.)
