| Review: Evans Blue: The Melody and the Energetic Nature of Volume |
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I first heard Evans Blue on my local radio station, FM96. The song was Cold (But I'm Still Here) and it certainly wasn't mind-blowing. It was some pretty solid radio music, but it did very little to distance itself from the masses. It was a cool song, but it blended too well with the noise. Still, I got the disc, thanks to the bands manager, Mari at The Pocket Studios. Why the band lead with Cold is beyond me. True, it has everything in a radio track. It fits into the formula de jour. Still, it doesn't properly introduce the band. Had the rest of the album been like Cold, it wouldn't have made it past the third track before it hit the garbage can. Fortunately it didn't and the CD didn't end up in the trash. Lyrically the band makes a solid attempt at tying the songs together into a story. Do they succeed? Well, they didn't write a modern-day rock opera. Yes, the songs are tied together, excessively in my opinion. Is this disc about a real relationship or someone worshipped from afar? At times it sounds like worshiping someone only to discover that the subject of the worship is really undeserving after all. At times it even sounds as though it was written from a stalkers perspective. In other words, lyrically it's emo. There, I said it. And it gets a little whiney at times. Musically the band provides a solid background to Matisyn's vocals. It isn't overly complex most of the time. It compliments the vocals. It serves a purpose, I suppose. It allows the lyrics to stand out, but the rest of the band needs to shine more, music isn't just about the singer. I am pleased with the piano work that shows up in a number of the songs, it provides ones ears with something interesting. If I had to lable it, I'd label it Groove/Nu-metal with a heavy dose of Emo mixed in. Emo-Groove-Metal. Song by Song: A Cross And A Girl Named Blessed: Good track, brighter musically than Cold. Vocal work is good, Matisyn explores a number of different sounds. Double kick, sweet. Stop And Say You Love Me: Shades of Tool, whether on purpose or not, are good. Melodic with some interesting guitar work. Enter the emo. Cold (But I'm Still Here): A good radio track, vocals continue on the same path. Guitars experiment with unusual sounds. Still, meh. Eclipsed: One of the better tracks on the disc. The guitar throughout the verses adds depth and the rhythm is somewhat contrary but complimentary. Beg: A solid song. The vocal work is different but musically it does little to differentiate itself from the rest of the disc. Over: As above. The chorus sums it up nicely. Over and over and over again. Some more Tool-influenced melodies. Pitter's bass line in the chorus is simple but effective when contributing to the eventual build-up that happens in the final quarter of the song. Possession: Can I get a "What The Fuck"? A Sarah McLachlan cover? Interesting! I'm torn over this song. Some times when I listen to this song, I enjoy it and other times I want to punch whoever thought this was a good idea. The vocals fit, I suppose. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Sarah MacLachlan. Tara MacLean's vocal work is excellent in this track, probably the best part of the song. Note to Matsyn: the breathy vocal thing at 2:10 into the track.... ya, you probably should rethink that. Dark That Follows: Guitar work starts out good and continues throughout the track. It's a simple melody but sounds oh-so-good. A longer track that has a number of different sections/phrases that tie together very well. Good job guys, a stellar track. The Promise And The Threat: Again, a great intro to the song and a rhythm that starts out different from the rest of the disc. The lyrics are finally becoming more interesting and are beginning to feel real. The end of the song has some excellent work done by everyone in the band. Quote: The lyrics are excellent, tying into the rest of the CD but they speak of the decline (or the growth?) that has become more and more obvious throughout the later parts of this CD. A ballad with an interesting transition half-way through that goes well with the change in the lyrics and vocals. The Tease: It seems that the band was growing somewhat more secure as they progressed through the recording of this disc. This track has more complex everything. Rhythm, melody, everything. Except for lyrics. The previous two tracks had interesting and very colourful lyrics. This one, not so much. Still, his vocal work seems different than the beginning, with some hints of Maynard. I don't use that lightly. An excellent end to the disc, and if this is a sign of things to come, I'll be buying the next disc. Final Words: This is Evans Blue's first effort, so should one go easy on them? Perhaps some people would, but I'm a prick. The band demonstrates that it can be interesting and that they can be different, especially in The Promise And The Threat and Quote. They also show that they are willing to experiment with Possession. So, why does much of the disc fade away from memory? The lyrics tie together all the tracks into one cohesive story that is fairly well written, but a bit repetitive and whiney, and the music follows the repetitive nature of the lyrics. Until the Possession, that is, then they get into gear and put out some quality music and lyrics. Were the songs written in the order they were put on the CD? Given the story-line nature of the disc, quite possibly. It would explain the growth in the final third of the disc. I hope the band continues to grow. They have potential to be very interesting if they can break out of the formula. A final note about the sound quality. Sure, it's a debut CD so I shouldn't expect much, but I've heard better debut CDs. It's muddy and lacks definition, and certainly doesn't exploit the dynamic range of the medium. I don't want to, but I have to subtract from the overall score because of that. 7/10 Evans Blue website: http://www.evansblue.com/ Evans Blue MySpace (with music): http://www.myspace.com/evansbluemusic Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites          Add your comment
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