|
goto page | next >>
|
|
| Author | Message |
|---|---|
 Post subject: My review of Room NoisesPosted: Tue Feb 01, 2005 3:35 am 
The first three tracks of Eisley's first full-length album, Room Noises, are songs previously heard on other releases, namely the EPs Laughing City and Marvelous Things. And for members of Eisley's official message board, many of the other songs have been distributed as demo versions or live performances thanks to Boyd DuPree, Eisley's tour manager, web designer, and father of four of the band members. However, in the hands of an expert crew (which, throughout the recording process, included Rob Schnapf), these familiar songs gain a new lease on life. Long-time followers of Eisley are familiar with the raw, unpolished beauty of their recordings. Fortunately, the album does not suffer the same fate as so many have in the wake of overproduction and excessive polishing (REM's latest offering comes to mind). "Memories" opens the album with an air of wistfulness and longing, backed by an epic piano-and-string arrangement that builds beautifully into the bridge, the emotional climax of the song. Sherri and Stacy DuPree demonstrate once again their practically superhuman ability to blend their voices in transcendent harmonies. The most noticeable difference between this version and the one that appeared on Marvelous Things is the rhythm: drummer Weston DuPree adopts a much more powerful style than he utilized on the original track. "Memories" dissolves into a elegantly simplistic finale. The second track and first single is "Telescope Eyes," a song that has been rewritten and recorded three separate times. Here the band took their label's advice and sped up the tempo considerably, but sadly chose not to include the second verse that has been missing from the song since its inclusion on Laughing City. "Telescope Eyes" has the earnest emotion that will secure Eisley a place on numerous Top 40 radio stations, but it also carries with it the danger of giving listeners the wrong idea about the band's style, a problem inherent with practically every band's first single. Someday Eisley will almost certainly regard "Telescope Eyes" as their "Creep"--an entirely decent song, but one they would nevertheless like to forget. From there we are transported to the slow piano ponderings of "I Wasn't Prepared," and it is in this song that the fantasy element of Eisley's songs comes into play. "When the morning came," sings Stacy, "the bees flew down and wrapped themselves around me/And that's when I spoke the word to have them trace your face for me in pollen." It's a theme of escapism that will reappear throughout the rest of the album, but in each instance it is coupled with genuine emotion. Track four, "Golly Sandra," was produced entirely by Eisley without assistance from Warner Brothers, and even utilizes a lap steel performance by a friend of the band. The song's rockabilly twang and driving chorus make this a top contender for another single, but early word has it that this probably won't be the case. "Golly Sandra" is, however, one of the best tracks on the album, and a much welcome emotional lift after the relatively depressing nature of the first three songs. "Marvelous Things" reappears on Room Noises after originating as the title track on Eisley's second EP. The song retains its dark yet hopeful nature, but with the aid of "proper" Hollywood production, the instrumentation is given greater clarity and definition. It's this alteration that makes the songs stand out from its previous version. Razor sharp guitar riffs accompany the sounds of Stacy's Rhodes, providing a lush backdrop to the ubiquitous DuPree vocals. "Marvelous Things" may well be Eisley's most accessible song, following the formula of minor-key verse, major-key chorus and offering a simple theme that is nonetheless memorable and slightly chilling. The chorus of "Brightly Wound" seems to epitomize, for better or worse, the nature of Eisley's music: "I shall never grow up/Make believe is too much fun/Can we go far away, to the humming meadow." For those who enjoy this almost juvenile escapism, the song is an anthem. For everyone else, it may seem childish and naive, but the talent evident in the arrangement of the music and layered vocals cannot be denied. Their mastery of melody is often Eisley's only redeeming factor in the eyes of audiences unaccustomed to the simple, earnest poetry of their lyrics. "Lost at Sea" is, musically at least, one of the most simplistic songs on the album. It was originally conceived only for keys and vocals, but the band added very subdued parts for other instruments. The overall effect is highly atmospheric, if slightly rushed and at times disjointed. Lyrically, it's some of Sherri's best work: a deeply wistful love song that happens to be about a shipwreck, too. The Decemberists would be proud. A late addition to the tracklist, "My Lovely" was written in the midst of Room Noises' pre-production. Unfortunately, it marks the only low point in the album. That's not saying much--there's nothing wrong with the song itself, but it simply doesn't measure up to the quality of earlier and later tracks. It should be mentioned that live performances of "My Lovely" are far better than the recording (as is the case with several other Eisley songs). Nevertheless, this song could easily have been made a B-side, and replaced with one of several tracks that were recorded but left off of the final cut. ("Sun Feet" or "Mr. Pine" would have been a welcome addition.) The next track, "Just Like We Do," is quite a stylistic shift from much of Eisley's more powerful or aggressive work. Stacy DuPree wrote and arranged the song, and proves that she is easily as skilled at guitar as she is on keys. Bassist Jon Wilson provides an organ backdrop reminiscent of Jonny Greenwood's contribution to the otherwise-acoustic Radiohead song "True Love Waits." In fact, the two songs have more musical commonalities than that. When "Just Like We Do" reaches its octave-ascending bridge and luminous finale, I feel as if I've been treated to something glorious. It may be the slowest track on the album, but if I had to pick a favorite, "Just Like We Do" would be it. "Plenty of Paper" begins with a frantic, almost comical introduction, but by a minute and a half in it becomes a whirling arrangement, fit for the soundtrack of a Tim Burton film. It's the most uplifting and uptempo track on Room Noises. A tendor piano intro opens "One Day I Slowly Floated Away," a prime example of Eisley's ability to seamlessly meld lyrics with melody. Not a note is out of place on this shimmering track; it's an ideal second-to-last song that ends with a trademark Eisley vocal outro. A very close second to "Just Like We Do" as far as I'm concerned. "Trolley Wood" provides the perfect closing track with gospel vocals and perky snapping rhythm. It's the perfect mix of hopeful melancholy--the kind of Narnian philosophy Eisley embodies. However, the song is followed by a remix of "Lost at Sea," a choice guaranteed to baffle many Eisley fans as well as new listeners. It seems a shame to diminish the subtle brilliance of "Trolley Wood" (which ends with a round of jubilant applause for the guest-snappers) by following it up with a very techno-influenced remix, and stranger still is the fact that the label advertised the inclusion of the song on all publicized tracklists, rather than keeping it a hidden or bonus track. In any case, the "Lost at Sea" remix is there to stay, and while it's quite a change from the original, that is kind of the point. The song is still uplifting, and very true to Eisley form, no matter how different it may sound from the simple piano song heard earlier on the album. It's difficult to give an empirical rating to an album like Room Noises which I have eagerly anticipated since the band started recording last January. Even more of an obstacle is the fact that most people just don't like Eisley as much as I do. I feel compelled to provide two reviews, like the "Power User" and "New User" reviews on iPodLounge. For most newcomers, this album will be a challenge to enjoy. Unless you have a certain element of openmindedness when it comes to music, you will be perplexed by the songs generated by this incredibly youthful (ranging from ages 16 to 23) group of people. The innocent and imaginative lyrics are bound to alienate some listeners, but that's not necessarily the case--if Eisley's past tour experience is any indication, their best response often comes from listeners of edgy, punk-influenced bands. Meanwhile, if you have been following the band for at least a few months, have been keeping up with the news on the Eisley forum and website, and maybe even joined e-Merge to help promote them, you will find in Room Noises a very welcome collection of songs lovingly crafted by young artists who are fully prepared for a rapid increase in popularity. Room Noises is proof that the DuPrees and their neighbor Jon Wilson can handle the music industry that seems so much more cold and callous than the songs Eisley produces. Their influence will be heard and felt very soon, and with this debut Eisley are stepping into a world full of marvelous things. Fortunately, they decided to take us all with them. A (That is to say, I really, really liked it.) _________________ INTELLECT AND ROMANCE OVER BRUTE FORCE AND CYNICISM Smokemonster |
|
|
Joined: 24 Sep 2003 | Posts: 14510 | Location: Alone on an airplane, fallin' asleep against the windowpane...
Last edited by Saellys on Tue Feb 01, 2005 3:51 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
     |
|
|
Post subject: Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2005 3:47 am
Great review, Hannah! I'm glad that you tried to listen fairly and write the good and the bad. With all of the Radiohead comparisons, I wonder if someone is a fan...  Thanks for posting this--it's nice to get a little preview of what each of the studio versions of the songs are like.
|
|
|
Joined: 21 Nov 2003 | Posts: 2290 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Post subject: Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2005 4:01 am
wow! great job, hannah! perfect review for a perfect album 
|
|
|
Joined: 20 Jan 2004 | Posts: 9108 | Location: boston, ma
|
|
|
|
|
|
Post subject: Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2005 5:41 am
that's a great review! on the whole, i feel pretty much the same way- room noises has lived up to all of my hopes and expectations and then some. the only thing i would change (and this is getting really, really nit-picky) is the production of the drums on "my lovely." they're too sharp-sounding and would be better served with a more bonham-esque feel- right now, the reverb decays way too fast and you don't get much of an ambient feel to it. that's probably why it sounds better live. but, minor complaints aside, i think it's an amazing album. as i said to hannah last night- if i had to rate this on a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is radiohead's kid a and 1 is rick wakeman's journey to the center of the earth, room noises is a solid 9.8 |
|
|
Joined: 07 Jun 2004 | Posts: 2497 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Post subject: Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2005 7:44 am
I liked that... It makes me wish that the album was already out... It will still be another week for me... That was a great review!... _________________ Kyle |
|
|
Joined: 21 Aug 2004 | Posts: 1124 | Location: Henderson, Texas
|
|
|
|
|
|
Post subject: Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2005 10:01 am
very well written review, didn't read it all b/c i haven't heard all the songs before, so i'll wait for about 4 or 5 of them, but it was very honest, and amazingly enough, gets me more excited about the cd (didn't know that was possible) _________________ "The term is ended; the holidays have begun. The dream is over; this is the morning." |
|
|
Joined: 16 Oct 2004 | Posts: 67 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Post subject: Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2005 10:16 am
i like that review, i may have to steal it cos there's no way i can write better _________________ welcome to the no pants club boone |
|
|
Joined: 18 Mar 2004 | Posts: 8693 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Post subject: Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2005 10:46 am
that was a great review. one week more week and i can listen to what you are talking about. _________________ can simultaneously snap fingers and blink. |
|
|
Joined: 27 Aug 2004 | Posts: 74 | Location: Kansas City, Missouri
|
|
|
|
|
|
Post subject: Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2005 10:47 am
Woah, you're a talented writer! That was probably the most thourough and honest review I have ever read... Cool. Hehe You are my new idol in the review world.  _________________ Tired eyes and savvy smiles, Quiet nights and a hundred miles Away... -- Everyone wants to deviate from the norm. I am BeastieEastie's Hero. |
|
|
Joined: 19 Sep 2004 | Posts: 311 | Location: Apache Junction, Arizona
|
|
|
|
|
|
Post subject: Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2005 11:01 am
i'd review it, but i'd feel really crappy about doing it now. i'll wait. _________________ knives don't have your back. |
|
|
Joined: 07 Jun 2003 | Posts: 980 | Location: Los Angeles
|
|
|
|
|
|
Post subject: Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2005 11:30 am
*grumbles about how jealous she is of all the people who get to listen to Room Noises first...* Grumble, grumble... _________________ Tired eyes and savvy smiles, Quiet nights and a hundred miles Away... -- Everyone wants to deviate from the norm. I am BeastieEastie's Hero. |
|
|
Joined: 19 Sep 2004 | Posts: 311 | Location: Apache Junction, Arizona
|
|
|
|
|
|
Post subject: Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2005 11:36 am
oceaneyes wrote: *grumbles about how jealous she is of all the people who get to listen to Room Noises first...* Grumble, grumble... I'm quite envious as well... Then again, I have green eyes - literally... _________________ Kyle |
|
|
Joined: 21 Aug 2004 | Posts: 1124 | Location: Henderson, Texas
|
|
|
|
|
|
Post subject: Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2005 12:52 pm
Nice review! And no mention of Unicorn Barbie.  (don't ask if you don't already know)
|
|
|
Joined: 03 Jan 2003 | Posts: 476 | Location: Austin TX
|
|
|
|
|
|
Post subject: Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2005 1:56 pm
very good review. i love the intro(as well as the whole song) to plenty of paper, its different, its good. _________________ http://www.nicholasvenaglia.com |
|
|
Joined: 18 Jan 2004 | Posts: 1537 | Location: San Francisco
Last edited by giant_ on Sun Feb 06, 2005 7:04 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
|
|
|
|
Post subject: Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2005 6:55 pm
It's back |
|
|
Joined: 28 May 2003 | Posts: 271 | Location: The Hills of Bountiful
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Laughing City Forum Index -> eisleyBlog -> My review of Room Noises
Page 1 of 2 goto page | next >>
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum |
|
|
All times are GMT - 12 Hours
|
|
