Hmmm... I like this. It's sort of emo, sort of indie rock, sort of post-hardcore... but sort of not. It's good, though. The vocals are great. Just smooth, clear, warm singing. Right on the money. Musically there's a lot of heavy chorus/delay on the guitars and things vary from slow and open chord progressions to driving distortion (not too heavy) with some sort of spacey textures and lush lead lines going on for added effect. There's sort of an 80's kind of dark British thing going on, I don't know, some of the music makes me think of The Smiths or Morrissey or something, but the vocals aren't like that at all and the sound of the writing is just... I guess more modern? There's definitely a "commercial" ring to it. I mean, this shit could damn sure get played on the radio, but I don't mean that in a bad way. It's not what I would call catchy or what have you, but these are just really good, strong songs that a wide scope of listeners could enjoy. The recording is awesome, too. I'm loving the bass. It's all about the bass, baby. The bassist is a great player, he writes lines that fit in with the rhythms but don't just mirror everything else, and the mix benefits that very well. The bass tone is also stellar, and the drums sound perfect, so the core is solid as hell. The guitars don't bother me at all, and the vocals are well recorded and mixed ever so slightly out front. It works out rather nicely. I might like to hear a bit more clarity in the mix as far as the instrumentation, but I'm talking minor, minor issues here. This thing sounds great. The layout is really consistent. It's not the most interesting thing in the world, but it looks pretty good. Every page of the booklet is either black or white, with a square photograph in the center that has been tinted blue and altered in some way (blurred, layered, etc.). There are also some morse code patterns in the background, along with text that's also either black, white, or red (on rare occasion). As far as the lyrics go, things are rather succinct and get to the point: "I'll drag myself from underneath the weight of someone else. What you came for, and what you saw, were two completely different things from the start. I'll drag myself into a place where things are quiet now. What you stand for, and who you are, will be the only things to get you this far." This is a cool EP. I wasn't sure I would like it, but I dig it. I'm expecting big things from this bunch in the future.
[One Day Savior]
Running time - 23:14, Tracks: 6
[Notable tracks: James, Cave, Camera]
One Day Savior Recordings - http://www.onedaysavior.com
