Review Summary: Listening to this album is very much like listening to a band you really like but being able to zone in and out and feel like you haven't missed anything.
So I'm a fan of Tears of Mars. I enjoy the energy and I enjoy the uniqueness in the sound. I was very excited to hear that they were releasing a double disc.
Listening to this album is very much like listening to a band you really like but being able to zone in and out and feel like you haven't missed anything.
I'm not going to go through every single song but of the first album I think Sojourn, Reconcile, and Simple Instructions are probably the best. The reason why they are the best songs of the album is because they are different. Unforunately Tears' music tends to sound the same: same tempo, same feel. I understand that a band must focus in on what they do best but I sometimes have to question whether real thought is put into the writing. now that is not to say that they aren't written well, they just don't seem to be finishing well. Sometimes I wonder if Tears is just against anything mainstream just because it's mainstream. the reason why I loved the above mentioned three songs is because Josiah wasn't afraid to assign a different role to his voice with each these songs. Sojourn has ALOT of soul, and I love it. He doesn't stretch his voice out too much and he gives room for the guitars and other instruments to do their work. I find that he tends to want to show off his vocal abilities in every one of his songs unnecessarily. I also think that he needs to work on his melody writing, it seems as though he makes it up as he goes, like a lot of the melodies are the same. That isn't the case in Reconcile for example. This song could be on the radio and while Tears of Mars seems to be against anything industry related, his song would work well for them. (PS - boys, it's not the best to hate everything industry related)
Shot to Heaven and Mother were my two favorites on the Major lift cd. Shot to heaven was good because it didn't go back to that half time feel that all of their songs do. I liked that Josiah used his voice as an instrument as well and not just as a carrier of words. Mother, again, is industry standard good. Could easily be on the radio or a tv show during an aww moment. The Hand COULD have been there, it started off hard and the 'yeas' were on point, however, again it just dropped back down to their comfort zone.
i think that's what best describes this double disc feature: it's safe for them. If you enjoy Radiohead and Muse, you will like this album and the songs. Good job boys, don't be afraid to be 'normal' it's not a bad thing.
