Eisley was, without a doubt, my favorite new band of 2005. There was something about this indie pop/rock band, populated entirely with siblings (well, except for one dude, who left and was replaced by a cousin), with not one but three female members front and center, and their fantasy-land lyrics that grabbed hold of my imagination and wouldn't let go. They didn't make music for children, but their music definitely got the kid in me all excited. There's lots of new music that I listen to and think, "Hmm, this is pretty good", but there's not much that inspires a sense of wonder. Listening to this band's debut, Room Noises, was like being led into a mythical forest populated with mermaids and musical flowers and magical trolleys, with the twin attack of lead singers Sherri and Stacy DuPree playing the role of sirens, enchanting me into never wanting to leave. Sure, it was as twee as all hell, but I couldn't deny that it was effective.

Then, like pretty much everyone, they started growing up. And they had to release a second album. You know what they say about those -you always have more time to write your first album than your second. As a result, sophomore albums tend to go over with mixed feelings when following debut albums that went over phenomenally well. (I don't even know how phenomenally well Room Noises did, to be honest, but they sure amassed a lot of fans through word-of-mouth, just from the show I attended at Hollywood's House of Blues last spring. It did phenomenally well with me, anyway.) They toured with other young-people-friendly bands such as New Found Glory, which resulted in one of Eisley's members marrying one of theirs, and in general it seems like nearly the entire band ended up being paired off with some member of another band that they crossed paths with somewhere along the way. That shows in the lyrics of their new album Combinations, which takes a more straightforward approach to the topic of romantic relationships on a few of its songs. Love songs aren't a bad thing, but it means that Eisley's starting to approach something more akin to "normal" pop music, which kinda bugs me a little.

But maybe I wouldn't mind that so much if not for the album length. I've been to an Eisley show. I know that this is one heck of a prolific family, judging from some of the curious non-album tracks they unveiled on tour, such as "Mr. Pine", "Head Against the Sky", "The Escaping Song", etc. But it seems that they felt they had to trim the fat in order to keep the new album from being all over the place, so only one of the new tracks that I can remember hearing live actually survived the cut (which I'll get to in a minute). There may have been others that were played at other shows, but it always sort of bugs me when I hear a lot of new and interesting ideas from a band in a live setting that don't make the new album. Anyway, even if I'd never been to an Eisley concert or perhaps if I'd never heard of Eisley at all, I'd like have a pleasant reaction to Combinations, but still think it was way too short. 10 songs is kind of the "bare minimum" in my mind, especially when your instrumental approach shows a preference for brevity over spontaneity. There's nothing wrong with the perfect three-minute pop song, but sometimes I can feel a little ripped off when I paid full price for an album with just over a half an hour of that sort of thing. I don't want to have to pay extra for some "Special Edition" just to make my listening experience last as long as it did during the normal version of your previous album.

It probably sounds like I'm being dismissive of a band that I used to love, but that's not entirely true. Eisley still turns on the charm full blast on several of their new songs, reminding you that they've still got overactive imaginations. It may be unfortunate that close to half of the album fails to expound upon their imagination much, opting for repetitive choruses and lyrics that aren't descriptive, but that doesn't mean a sweet melody with compelling instrumentation won't sideswipe you and nudge you into singing along. If anything, they've diversified a bit, playing with some hard-hitting and almost creepy textures early in the album, returning to the mid-tempo pop/rock they're best known for in the middle (with a few occasional surprises), and finally closing out with a pair of stunning lullabies. I'm not in love with Combinations, but there's plenty to like despite the short length.

Many Funerals
Young and agile, seaside born
My parents' death did I dear mourn
Now in this wicked world risk I
Bold endeavors by and by...
Starting off immediately with vocals seemed to be a good way for the last album's "Memories" to get attention, so that trick is employed here in a song that's at least three times as haunting. It's easy to pigeonhole Eisley as cute, but this time around they've come up with a gnarled rocker that is positively unnerving as it shifts from its tense verse into a chorus with a completely different tempo and time signature, set to the siblings' cries of "Break, break down!" It's creepy, but also captivating, and appropriately unsettling given the scenario of a child being orphaned by the death of her parents. The lyrics do seem a bit disjointed, so there are a lot of blanks to fill in, but the music proves that this precocious young band isn't always trying to sound cute and cuddly. This will likely be a polarizing track for fans, some of whom may be put off by the thrashing chorus, but I think it shows off Eisley's darker side quite nicely, even if it does seem like a bit of a mess at first. I'd rather see them continue to push their experimentation in this direction, in terms of how the melody and the composition of the song take gutsy risks to get their point across.

Invasion
Come inside
You will be one of us painless, us brainless
Go to sleep, this won't hurt a bit
Shifting your shape to ourselves...
More of a catchy, accessible rock song follows next - the synthesized intro will remind some of "Plenty of Paper", but this song's more concerned with spooky nightmares than stellar dreams. Stacy actually does a wonderful job switching back and forth between the synthesized keyboards and the more organic-sounding ones, adding bright color to the dark paranoia being spouted by her sister Sherri. The DuPrees got the idea for this one after reading Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and while it's nominally about aliens taking over people's minds, it really seems to be more of a sly commentary on peer pressure. We're all quite willing to buy into the hysteria, to believe the sisters as they wail the unforgettable chorus: "Yoooooouuuyouyouyoooouuuu... you would take the breath from my throat. And yoooooouuuyouyouyoooouuuu... you would take the cherished people that I hold." But by the time the bridge rolls around - which is a fine example of Eisley's ability to take the melody and the intensity of a song to unexpected places while not losing the rhythm or flow of an extremely catchy song - it becomes clear that there's not much in the way of actual proof: "You don't have to know the truth. If you believe it, then I believe it, too." So who's really behind the mind control going on here? Is all of this paranoia just a self-fulfilling prophecy? The song leaves it open-ended, and just to remind us that this is Eisley and there really are two sweet voices in play, Sherri and Stacy split apart as the song comes to its sudden end, one of them repeating the chorus and one of them repeating the bridge. It's a phenomenal lead single, light years better than the merely good "Telescope Eyes".

Taking Control
If we get down, when we get down
We'll get up again, we'll get up again
And we can take the right way out of here
I'll be sure to show you again...
Now we get to the part where - as much as it pains me to say this - Eisley starts to suck a little. Don't get me wrong, they're as catchy as ever and I've yet to hear a bad song from the DuPrees (well, on an official album anyway), but this bouncy little number about someone or something that is trying to run the siblings lives suffers from a severe lack of specificity. They repeat the same lines (or similar ones) often enough that I really have to wonder if these weren't placeholders for better lyrics, just put in there so that they could work out the melody and song structure. It's good to note that the "rock factor" is stronger even during a more poppy song - I kind of shortchanged Chauntelle DuPree by not mentioning her snarling guitar attack on the first track, and she has a pleasant enough solo here, though it really just follows the chorus melody. I can enjoy it as mindless radio-friendly pop/rock, but the words "mindless" and "Eisley" really should never have to butt up against each other in a review.Sherri and Stacy redeem it a little at the end by doing to "multiple vocal" parts thing again, which leads me to wonder why they couldn't have double teamed during more of the song, to add a little more intrigue. This is definitely the album's low point - not a terrible track, but not notable by any stretch of the imagination, either.

Go Away
Finally it all makes sense
I could keep this all from you
And I could make a statement based on truth
But then it all comes tumbling down...
Weston DuPree, very much the energetic and inventive drummer on this album, gets a fast-paced song in 6/8 time going (a little lighter-footed than "Memories" or "Marvelous Thing", but not nearly as intense as the chorus of "Many Funerals"), which, as you might surmise from the title, consists of the girls pleading with some guy to "Go away". They do this in a rather paradoxical manner, almost as if there are two personalities within one confused woman, one who is sick of his lies and wants him to get lost, and the other who wants to hang on for dear life. That's about the extent of what makes this song interesting - there's nothing fantastic about these lyrics, since they've opted to make it a rather transparent breakup song. As sweetly forlorn as the girls may sound singing the simple chorus of "Go away, go away, leave me on my own" and echoing "I am holding you" during the bridge, I didn't need to hear either phrase four times in a row to get the point. Sherri's bright piano and Weston's keen sense of rhythm are the only things that elevate this song to "slightly above the ordinary" status.

I Could Be There for You
Would someone please walk through with me?
I've got nothing to hide, nowhere to be
Why do we have to come through here
'Cause nothing leads me to you...
This one sounds like a bit of a dry ballad at first, but give it a minute, it gets more ominous as it unfolds. It starts with just Weston's toms and some bell-like keyboards from Stacy, as either she or Sherri (I can't tell which is which half the time) pleads with a friend to stop shutting her out. Again, it's a song that allows you to guess the meaning from the title, and it just repeats that title in place of a chorus that actually fills us in a little more, so I'm a bit perturbed by the transparency here. But things really open up in the middle of the song when the "Oh"s from all three girls are positively shimmering, the drums and strokes of guitar get much louder, and the band pulls off a tricky transition into 6/8 time (or is it 6/4?) without the drum pattern changing. And do my ears deceive me, or is the microphone-shy Chauntelle actually singing at the end of the bridge? It's nice to see this song taking some chances, but they still need to do something about the cliched chorus.

Come Clean
With your headbleeds and your nosebleeds, too
I don't see that there's a truth in the way you're talking to me...
Perfect pop bliss takes over here, as the quick-fingered, somewhat romantic strumming of a mandolin whisks us away to a streamside cafe, while a persistent, looping melody does its best to get stuck in our heads. This is one of the moments when Eisley reminds me a bit of Sixpence None the Richer - though that can sometimes be an unfair comparison since Sixpence was a bit more cerebral (kitschy cover songs aside) and Eisley is generally a bit more playful. It's unfortunate that a reliable melody so well-designed to get you singing along is coupled with a lyric that's a bit too predictable - we've already heard the sisters lamenting a man's lies in "Go Away", and for their request that he "Come clean all around me" to really mean something to the listener, they're gonna need to specify a little more. I love the atmosphere, and the more acoustic approach that lets the song breathe - Garron DuPree's bass is much more audible here than in most of the denser songs. And this one would probably do well as a follow-up single. But I think some folks who heard it in passing would likely be annoyed with the fact that the song really doesn't have a whole lot to say.

Ten Cent Blues
But who could blame a fraction of her being?
She is cheesy, she is scrawny, with her uncanny styling
I'm teasing, she is pleasing, she just has no wit...
Now here's a song with a lot to say. Ironically, it's probably got the weakest hook of any track on the album, playing like a more subdued take on "Golly Sandra" with its ever-so-slight country influence coloring Chauntelle's guitar playing. But this is the point where Eisley gets back to telling real stories, and the tale being told here is surprisingly realistic, but still highly intriguing. There are no mythical creatures to be found here - just two schoolgirls locked in a battle of wills over a boy. You don't hear songs about competition between women that often - men like to brag that they're better than the other guy, and I suppose every now and then you'll get some brainless chick band snaking it up and proclaiming that they're hotter than your girlfriend, but Eisley takes a different approach and lets a bit of genuine hurt show through. Sherri (or Stacy?) has realized that she's losing the bid for this boy's affection - he's going for the old standbys of traditional beauty and demure acquiescence, leaving our protagonist feeling like the ugly fish out of water, because she actually has a brain and is perhaps a bit geeky. How this one ends is left open to interpretation - the two girls eventually decide to shake hands and call off the feud, but it's unclear whether our heroine is politely stepping aside to let the other girl have this clueless guy, or whether the two of them have actually found something in common, and they've just decided "The hell with him". It's interesting that the presence of much more descriptive lyrics here means that we don't have a repetitive chorus here - or really even much of a chorus at all. We know we're at the refrain when we here those sweet "Oh-whoa"s, but it's never the same lines that follow, and that's probably why a lot of folks will, regrettably, skip over this one, because it doesn't scream to be sung along with like the other songs do.

A Sight to Behold
Could I be possibly insane
To think you and I have life figured out
And how does one approach this
When all our past loves have let us down...
I've got to hand it to Eisley, they have a knack for taking meaningless "Ohs" and "Oohs" and "Whoas" and making them sound like most compelling thing on Earth. They play that strength to the hilt on this song, interjecting a haunting vocal line that follows Chauntelle's lead guitar in between each line of each verse (while Weston marvelously thumps out an almost tribal sort of rhythm), then giving us an even greater dose of the vocal theatrics before breaking into a glorious chorus. No, wait, don't look at the lyrics, just trust me, it's a great chorus! Sigh. You paid attention to the lyrics. Alright, I'll admit it. "Let's break the walls down and find how to live, 'cause you and I have so much to give" is a real stinker of a refrain. The delivery of it sounds awesome, though, doesn't it? And when they get to the bridge and the drums are pounding, and those dramatic strings are being plucked all at once, and they all hold on one haunting note at the end of the phrase "Forever and ever", tell me that's not captivating. I guess this could have been an awesome song if that chorus packed a little more punch, but it's still a pretty darn good one, and a much-needed dose of energy in the rather sleepy back half of the album.

Combinations
Pass the evening, bring tomorrow
How could we know that night would bring us into daylight?
Here comes the title track... and surprise, it's a total lullaby. But oh, what a lullaby! A harp and a hammer dulcimer help to ensure that you're once again whisked away to a land of castles and dragons and princesses, where true love conquers all and our heroes live happily ever after. (You'll have to imagine the dragons and stuff, but the "true love" shows up in full force here.) This one's a pretty simple confession that it's better to be one of a pair than it is to be alone - Sherri sweetly stretches her "I"s out into several notes and confesses to her lover that she can't live without him. Pretty cliche, but the exquisite instrumentation and the pure white chocolate melody make it a lot easier to overlook that fact.

If You're Wondering
If the moon shines on you while you're sleeping
It will show you all that you're feeling inside...
In case that last track didn't send you on your way to pleasant dreams, this next one's even slower - sometimes it even seems a bit clunky due to the never-changing rhythm of the tambourine, which serves to make the slow tempo glaringly obvious, where a total lack of percussion might have worked better. But once again, a sweet, wide-eyed and wonderful melody and unique instrumentation work in the song's favor. This time around it sounds like a music box - I'm hearing either kalimba or harpsichord (I know, I should just read the liner notes, but they're in the car right now and I'm lazy), with shades of the less-exotic piano, which proves to be an equally beautiful instrument. Eisley is at once touchy-feely and cryptic here - there's some sort of opening up and sharing between two people going on here, but it seems to only happen while they sleep. Is it the bliss of a newly married couple finally sharing the same bed? Is it more of a spiritual matter, a "show and not tell" form of living out one's beliefs that gets them thinking long after the beautiful music has faded. If it's the latter, I can almost see it as a sort of mission statement for Eisley - just make beautiful and honorable music and people will wonder what makes you tick. But seeing as the former doesn't diminish the song in any way. It's an excellent closing track (it fits much better at the end of an album than the off-kilter "Trolleywood"), but I still feel a bit shocked that we have to say goodbye to Eisley again so soon when this one wraps up.

Some Eisley fans will get lucky, depending on their preferred medium in which to purchase the music - hunting down a special edition CD/DVD or buying it on iTunes will reward listeners with extra goodies, ranging from an EP's worth of songs preserved on video, to the utterly adorable "Marsh King's Daughter" (which sounds like something you might've heard on the radio in the 40's or 50's with its jolly clarinets and lovey-dovey lyrics, and which really should've been on the album proper despite not sounding remotely similar to anything else they've done), to the curious "Like the Actors" (an interesting exploration of morality and the pressures placed on celebrities), to the off-key and utterly intolerable "Sun Feet" (which makes me want to shake Stacy vigorously and yell, "Snap out of it!") I'm all for paring an album down to the songs that fit the best, but I think it's a shame that some of the more prolific and experimental material they'd come up with was cut in favor of songs like "Taking Control". I know that "bonus discs" for collectors are all the rage in this digital age (where the rest of us can just save our extra bucks and download 'em), but being able to stick a CD in the player that lasts more than 35 minutes really shouldn't be a "bonus" privilege for hardcore fans only. I figure you've got 80 minutes of space in which to prove the viability of your art; might as well use up at least half of it.

Having said all that, I still recommend Combinations because it still has a few shining examples of what makes Eisley great. But if you're new to the band, start with Room Noises, which contains almost exclusively great songs.

ALBUM WORTH:
Many Funerals $1.50
Invasion $2
Taking Control $.50
Go Away $.50
I Could Be There for You $1
Come Clean $1
Ten Cent Blues $1.50
A Sight to Behold $1.50
Combinations $1.50
If You're Wondering $1.50
TOTAL: $12.50

Band Members:
Sherri DuPree: Lead vocals, guitar
Stacy DuPree: Lead vocals, keyboards, guitar
Chauntelle DuPree: Lead guitar, backing vocals
Weston DuPree: Drums
Garron DuPree: Bass

Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Listening