SLOW MOTION REIGN

The first time I heard this album, I was quite impressed. I thought I could hear some prog elements in the music even though, for the most part, the meters are pretty standard for rock staying usually around 3/4 and 4/4 time. The place where this band shines is in what they do with their vocals and instrumentation. Their song structures are definately not the standard verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus format that you hear in so much pop/rock standard fare. This is what makes them interesting. The next time I listened to the album was after I noticed they were included here in the prog-archives, so I listened this time with this in mind. There really isn't anything innovative here, but it is still very interesting and it keeps my interest now even after several listens. This band has been compared to Manic Street Preachers and I would say that's pretty close, but I feel this music is somewhat darker and fuller. The musicianship is definately top-notch, vocals are very listenable yet, as I said earlier, lyrical structure is not standard, and that's a good thing. It is a shame that they haven't produced any other music for quite a while and that they are quite an obscure band because they are definately worth a listen and much better than some of the radio-friendly indie-rock that was around at the time of the release of this disc. Definately worth a listen for sure, but not necessarily essential. Probably closer to 3.5 stars.

Excellent debut album form this US-based band.

The foundation of the songs here seems to be indie-rock not too unlike from what Manic Street Preachers made in the mid to late nineties; with melodic guitar hooks and generally strong melodic sensibilities throughout. Highly skilled, controlled and melodic vocals underline the pop sensibilities in the music; and strong choruses with a high singalong feel to them further enhances this. Add to that some skilled use of piano and keyboards, slightly complex song structures with some similarities to what Canadian band Rush did in the late 80's and early 90's; and the end result is a very good album.

Highly recommended to fans of melodic rock with classy pop sensibilities made by skilled musicians.