Breaking Pangaea "Phoenix" CD

Breaking Pangaea "Phoenix" CD
[Equal Vision]
This is a solid EP of what I can't help but call emo: Jangly guitars, lots of nice vocal harmonies, energetic writing that shifts from clean to distorted on many occasions, a nice solid rhythm section, memorable choruses, etc. This isn't sappy or cheesy though, not at all in my opinion. There's a darker sort of thread running throughout the material, and the arrangements and riffing are a bit more involved than is common - it's not overly simple, and it's not what I would define as poppy. At times it's musically upbeat (see the jumpy chord progressions of "Better Off"), but not consistently. "Picture Perfect" definitely has a Texas is the Reason type of vibe going on musically as well (I'd almost swear they practically "borrowed" a few of the riffs). The production is pretty damn good. It's smooth and full, and I don't have any major gripes. I think things could use a bit more kick somehow, though. Maybe thicker/slightly louder guitars, fewer gaps between the vocals and the music, a bit more brightness, etc. But these are all minor issues. It sounds really good, there's just room for a couple of improvements. The liner notes say that all of these songs were written and performed by two people though, so they sound great considering. The layout looks great here. I love the contrast of the jet-black CD tray with the warm, fiery colors of the booklet. The sketchy imagery of flames and birds is nice, the text is clean and precise... it looks really, really good. The lyrics are personal and fairly straightforward, nothing that I can really get into, but nothing that really bothers me. "On the sun it is raining, Waterfalls flow with fire, You can hear the phoenix cry out, Please forgive me my love, On the sun years are countless, And the days burn forever, You can hear the phoenix cry out, Please forgive me my love, When the fire burns hot like cold rain, When the fever burns down in your brain, Will you still be with me my dear, Please forgive me, Stay with me on the sun, burn forever, stay with me." This is good stuff. I'd never heard this band before, just seen their name around, but this makes me curious as to what they'll come up with in the future. (7/10)
Running time - 21:47, Tracks: 5
[Notable tracks: Phoenix, Picture Perfect]
Equal Vision Records - http://www.equalvision.com

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