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Luke's Mom
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Vote for Boyd's cover art!:
http://www.allcdcovers.com/show/55900/eisley_combinations_2007_retail_ cd/front

And..Eisley on a cover! (not a review, but neat):
http://www.pluginmusic.com/news/archive.php?id=2010
Joined: 26 Jul 2004 | Posts: 420 | Location: Cranberry Bog, MA
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sweeeeet
Golly, Poster


HARTFORD COURANT

EISLEY
Combinations
Warner Bros.

On their 2005 debut "Room Noises," the sibling shoegazers in Texas' Eisley created a sound that picked up where the late, lamented Sundays left off a decade or so ago. Beguilingly gauzy, and with a strong undercurrent of traditional folk in the harmonies of sisters Sherri and Stacy Dupree, the album was a dream-popper's delight. But in-between discs, Eisley hit the gym, so to speak, and the added musical muscle can seem unnerving.

"Many Funerals," a rocked-up sea shanty with a blistering riff, and the equally energetic "Invasion" and "A Sight To Behold," certainly aren't in danger of floating off into the ether. Instead, they're dangerously ponderous enough to be sunk by their own firepower, a fate each tune barely avoids.

A closer listen to "Combinations," however, reveals that the Duprees haven't abandoned their strengths. Most songs, including the single-worthy "Come Clean," are still built on soaring vocal interplay and a childlike sense of wonder. And the title track goes over the top in a different, gentler way, consolidating the charms of the debut into three-and-a-half minutes of Sundays-style bliss.

- DAN LEROY

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The_Paronomasial_Mattoid
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a review at JesusFreakHideOut.com, i liked it, kinda, yeah...

http://jesusfreakhideout.com/cdreviews/Combinations.asp

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Kit
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Luke's Mom wrote:
http://www.nbc5i.com/dfwscene/13866476/detail.html
[/size]


They had me until they called Eisley an emo band. Seriously. People really need to stop using that word.
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Luke's Mom
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Joined: 26 Jul 2004 | Posts: 420 | Location: Cranberry Bog, MA
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Deadpoet
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Hey, I wrote that! Very Happy I was going to post it earlier but I've been busy all day.

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Luke's Mom
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Good Job Deadpoet! Not just the positive review, but the writing. Is this your vocation?
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Mystic210
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I thought this review was awesome. This is what people read if they choose to preview the album at Barnes and Noble:

All Music Guide

Eisley gets more ambitious with each EP and album, as well they should: Combinations is the band's second album, but they recorded it when they were barely in their twenties -- a time when growth and change aren't just natural, they're required. This set of songs reflects Eisley's evolution; they sound more grown-up and maybe a shade less playful than Room Noises and the band's EPs, but they keep the uniqueness that made Eisley worth hearing in the first place.

Combinations gets off to a literally rocky start with "Many Funerals," which begins with a moody sea shanty-like melody that swells into charging choruses. It's the heaviest, angstiest Eisley song yet, and though it borders on overwrought, it shows the depth and breadth the band brings to their music this time around. The brooding, guitar-heavy feel continues, albeit in very different ways, on "Invasion"'s dark pop and on "A Sight to Behold," which finds the DuPree sisters questioning their sanity to a backdrop of pizzicato strings and distorted beats.

The DuPrees' vocals and melodies remain Eisley's greatest, most unique strengths. The harmonies the sisters craft could've appeared on songs from decades ago (and sound especially sweet on the deceptively beguiling "Go Away"), while "I Could Be There for You"'s traditional-sounding tune is even more striking when set to a very contemporary arrangement. The album's eclectic-yet-cohesive feel spans the polished, poppy "Taking Control" and gorgeous "Ten Cent Blues" to the elegant ballad "If You're Wondering" (which boasts chimes, kalimba, and a rainstorm) and the title track, which with its lavish arrangement and fairy tale sweep, almost sounds like a Top 40-friendly version of Joanna Newsom. Eisley's mix of old and new, and accessible and unexpected, makes their music utterly charming, and Combinations is a blend of bewitching contradictions.

Heather Phares
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Deadpoet
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Luke's Mom wrote:
Good Job Deadpoet! Not just the positive review, but the writing. Is this your vocation?


Thanks! It's kind of my vocation. but I'm still in high school, I write for a teenage writing section in the Tulsa World every Friday. So we don't get paid, but we get some really awesome journalism experience. I love it. I feel like if I'm not someday a musical artist that is idolized my millions, journalism is a fallback. Smile

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Luke's Mom
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Pepperdine U: Smart stuff.
http://graphic.pepperdine.edu/ane/2007/2007-08-27-eisley.htm
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keltica
Golly, Poster


Don't know if any of you have read this review by Chad Jones on Pegasus News.

Though Combinations is worth the wait, fans looking for Room Noises: Part II will be, well, slightly disappointed. Eisley, intentionally or not, has seemingly moved away from the magical, childlike and persistently fantastic (in the "fantasy" sense of the word) lyrical content that no doubt lured in and retains most of their hefty fanbase (myself included). This time around, there are references as poignant and delightfully weird as "bat(s) with butterfly wings," "butterwarm clouds," "icicles hang from our fingertips," "I cut the moon in half".

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Luke's Mom
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I ignore blogging blowhearts as much as I can. That guy has a readership of 2. Maybe Patrock hurt his feelings??

Eisley is doing great on the Metacritics chart. Top 15! They are in 'starred' status. 81 might not seem great, but check out the listing on the side. Music critics sure are tough. Bitter, angry people. I guess.
http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/eisley/combinations?part=rss

From the UK:
http://www.indigoflow.co.uk/2007/08/28/eisley-combinations/
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JSL
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I think the review from All Music Guide was well written and does the album justice. I think some critics who don't like the album are those who were expecting a sequel to Room Noises. I really like the Room Noises album but no two albums should sound exactly the same from a very good band. The thing that impresses me the most about Eisley on both albums are the awesome vocals. Those girls sure can sing. And unlike a lot of other modern acts you can actually understand what they're singing too. Very Happy
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bright young thing
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Luke's Mom wrote:



um. they have a download able shot of the magazine,
inside and all, with the article, pictures....
here, to your left side. http://www.raggedmag.com/

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g-rock
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i just reviewed the new eisley cd on my site: http://societys-elite.blogspot.com/
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