As Tall As Lions
As Tall As Lions


5.0
classic

Review

by fr33convict USER (10 Reviews)
January 3rd, 2011 | 30 replies


Release Date: 2006 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Driven by stellar melodies, As Tall As Lion’s self-titled release is a virtually flawless emotional rollercoaster ride of an album.

Rarely is modern music something truly stunning: something so absolutely flawless and lush in it’s execution you can’t help but feel convicted by its beauty. As Tall As Lion’s self-titled album is one of those albums. The album conveys the feeling of true heartbreak in a stellar manner: The album hides behind no armor to make every chord progression, gorgeous melody and harmony seems perfectly designed and executed to impact the listener in the largest possible way. The album draws you in with its lush and ambient qualities, relatable songs about heartbreak, and captivating vocal performance to create one of the most emotionally captivating records in recent memory.

Unlike most indie records, the album also doesn’t falter on the grounds of actual musicianship. The drum lines rely on a standard kick and snare beat much less then most drummers in the genre, often mixing in snare rolls and surprisingly faster work on the kit while maintaining the slow, dream-like vibe of the album. The guitar melodies are wonderful; the lead lines and jazz-based chord progressions often float along gently and complement Dan Nigro’s superb vocal performance effectively. The stellar harmonies complement every line further its powerful delivery. The album also uses a wide variety of additional instruments. The album never holds back on the additional use of instruments to make it feel completely fresh throughout its runtime. The charming ambition of As Tall As Lions is simply stunning. The jazzy piano, quietly plucked harps, majestic strings, slide guitar, percussion, and organ lines subtly drive the tracks along and complement the mood perfectly, giving the album its unique ambient pop vibe.

The lyrical work on the album is also something of beauty. The album revolves around the stages of a break up, going through the stages of blaming yourself and the other person and the desire to have them back. Songs such as “Maybe I’m Just Tired” and “Song for Luna” are driven by their metaphoric and incredibly poetic lyrics. The band has a superb sense of melody, keeping every part beautiful while maintaining their pop sensibilities. All of the album’s ten tracks (or eleven, counting the hidden track) transition wonderfully and flow as an incredibly tight package, culminating until the slow-burning piano driven closer, “Maybe I’m Just Tired”, which practically demands your reflection on the events leading up to it.

Driven by stellar melodies, As Tall As Lion’s self-titled release is a virtually flawless emotional rollercoaster ride of an album. If you’re a fan of indie music this album needs to be in your collection. If you’re looking for something different have experienced a recent heartbreak I would also recommend this album to you without a doubt. This beautiful and utterly depressing tale of heartbreak has firmly sealed its place as one of my all-time favorite indie albums.



Recent reviews by this author
Coldworld Melancholie²Skillet Awake
My Chemical Romance Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous KilljoysAlter Bridge AB III
My Chemical Romance I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your LoveAnberlin Dark Is the Way, Light Is a Place
user ratings (512)
4
excellent
other reviews of this album
Prophet178 (4)
Have you ever had your heart broken? This is the album for you. Never had your heart broken? Th...



Comments:Add a Comment 
fr33convict
January 3rd 2011


11723 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

Short and sweet. I know not many people like this as much as me but it just draws me in like nothing else. I'm going to try to

review more regularly this year, might do a discog.

Emim
January 3rd 2011


36240 Comments


I think you mean "standard kick and snare beat"

neg
neg
neg
neg
neg
neg
neg
neg
neg
neg
neg
neg
neg
neg
neg
neg

fr33convict
January 3rd 2011


11723 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

Oops. Yep that's why I meant. Fixed.

Irving
Emeritus
January 3rd 2011


7496 Comments


Excellent review fr33. Have a well-deserved pos.

fr33convict
January 3rd 2011


11723 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

Thanks. This was probably the most time I've spent on a review.

foreverendeared
January 3rd 2011


14741 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Good review! I prefer You can't Take It with You

fr33convict
January 3rd 2011


11723 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

I actually haven't looked into their other albums much for some reason. I'll try to remember to that soon, probably after listening to Amia Venera Landscape yet another time.

foreverendeared
January 3rd 2011


14741 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

you should at least youtube the title track. It's incredible. Here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJ6ta--GLGk

foreverendeared
January 3rd 2011


14741 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

dbl post

fr33convict
January 3rd 2011


11723 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

I'll look it up when I get home, forgot to bring my headset with me. I'm sure it is though.

foreverendeared
January 3rd 2011


14741 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

like 100,000/5 good

fr33convict
January 4th 2011


11723 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

The video contains a malformed video URL. That's ok I'm gonna download their whole discography later.

RiversCuomo
January 4th 2011


439 Comments


review sucks

foreverendeared
January 4th 2011


14741 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

"The video contains a malformed video URL."



huh? It works fine for me.

psykonaut
January 4th 2011


3913 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

i love you for this review. it sucks so bad that these guys broke up, and the farewell tour wasn't close to me...meh.

pmmets07
January 4th 2011


5984 Comments


stab city is so amazing then everything else is good but not great

fr33convict
January 4th 2011


11723 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

"huh? It works fine for me.


That's what it said for me. Might have just been that Youtube Mobile sucks. But yeah that song is awesome.

i love you for this review. it sucks so bad that these guys broke up, and the farewell tour wasn't close to me...meh.


Thanks. And I actually hadn't heard they had broken up until a few weeks ago and felt really sad about never getting to seem them live.

Jash
January 4th 2011


5232 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

This sounds good, awesome review man. Just went through a breakup myself so this sounds like what I need to download

fr33convict
January 4th 2011


11723 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

Thanks. And this will either help or make you feel worse

fr33convict
January 4th 2011


11723 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

Haha yeah I got carried away. Thanks man.



You have to be logged in to post a comment. Login | Create a Profile





STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS // CONTACT US

Bands: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


Site Copyright 2005-2023 Sputnikmusic.com
All Album Reviews Displayed With Permission of Authors | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy