Beautiful Compilation of Equally Great Songs!
by
ninoman14
Each song on this album carries with it a great melody, smooth production, and deep lyrics, whether singing to a love, a friend, or to Someone above. Harmonious and, at times, fittingly atonal, the group has no qualms with conversing on whatever topic comes to mind, giving a sort of openness that makes for great listening. A track by track:
Signal to Noise- 5/5 – A pounding intro to the album that excites you and sets you up for the album. Also includes a very cool tie-in into the next song.
I’m Still Alive- 4.5/5 – A song with an interesting message, the song delves in and out of the fast upbeat and the quiet reminiscing.
Deep Inside- 5/5 – I love this song, personally. The distant and corroded vocals give the song a distorted feel while the drums fluidly carry the song at a quick tempo. Not only that, but the melody is extremely catchy, and the guitar work is great.
Love- 4.5/5 – A very cool song with a strong and needed message about the power of love to heal the wounds of the world. The swirling guitar riffs and singer Josh Dufrene’s vocals are what really carry this song, though.
Fake- 5/5 – This song is another favorite. The wordplay of a man lost in the world, others, and himself is really strong. The bridge is one of my favorite parts of the whole album. It’s creeping crescendo and then explosion into layered guitar and vocals are awesome, and the purposeful tempo confusion at that point only adds to the façade that parallels the idea of the song.
Dream- 5/5 – The best part of this song is the chorus. It is truly like a dream, with shining guitar tracks and layered vocals carrying the song away from reality.
Believe- 4.5/5 – Another song with a great message, telling the protagonist to believe in himself. Also a well produced track, it delves into the mellow ambiance of guitar fiddlings for a bit before sailing into the chorus again.
When You Cry- 4.5/5 – A sweet lullaby, of sorts, speaking of a man’s empathy he has for someone he loves. A addition to the album.
Dangerous- 4/5 – Short and sweet, Dufrene speaks of the dangerous love that he holds for someone, whether it be a love or for God above.
On to Something- 5/5 – The song breaks from its slow streak with verve and excitement. The melody is addicting, and the ever-present guitar noodling throughout shows off the talent of the creative and fun band.
All My Life- 5/5 – Even more upbeat than the song before, the songs begins with grungy guitar tracks and drums beating like mad. But then the song breaks into the chorus and the chorus begins, and the idea is left behind for bright, positive rock that carries vocals reminiscent of Gavin DeGraw. One of the best.
9 AM- 5/5 – This short, purely instrumental quip inserts a break in the song. Dufrene’s reverberating echos are all the vocals that are heard on the track, and, as far as I can remember, the track is one of the most interesting and awesome instrumentals put on an album in recent history.
What You Give- 6/5 – This is the album’s highlight, the best song. It seems to coagulate every aspect and idea in each song so far and meshes them together into a brilliant, melodic masterpiece.
Move Me- 4.5/5 – I almost wish this had come before What You Give so that that song would have been the final song, but this track is still a good one. The mellow acoustic guitar leads the track to its eventual upbeat and layered conclusion, concluding the momentous and truly exceptional debut album.
After the album was done playing, I immediately listened to it again and loved it more the next time. This is truly a master work for a debut album, and I can’t wait for their next album to drop already! In the meantime, though, the album shall be on my playlist on repeat for some weeks to go.
