First of all, I want to thank Matthew Aucoin (MattA75) for inviting me to this write-off. Secondly, I want to thank my w/o partner, divad23, for giving me such excellent choices of music.
As you may or may not know, the huge majority of my music reviews concern jazz. I've thrown a few rock albums into the mix but jazz is my music of choice. divad23 is more into rock and folk and is an excellent reviewer.
He sent me two choices for the write-off and I chose Eisley's "Room Noises" for no better reason that I couldn't find the other choice. Turns out Eisley is a group from my state. They're from the medium-sized town of Tyler, Texas which is in the East part of the state where they have things like trees and water. (previously, Tyler, Tx. was famous for two things: roses and a gentlemen by the name of Earl Campbell who played football and was dubbed the "Tyler Rose"). I'm from a semi-desert area of West Texas.
The group is comprised of four siblings and one close family friend. The two oldest sisters, Chauntelle and Sherri DuPree, started playing and singing their own songs at the ripe old ages of 15 and 13 respectfully. Their younger sister, Stacy (8 at the time) wormed her way into the group by writing songs of her own after she was initially rejected as a member of the band by the older sisters. The only male sibling of the band is brother Weston who is two years older than Stacy. The final member of the band is bassist, Jonathon Wilson, who is a long-time family friend.
The band has two previous E.P.'s (I thought they were albums but a nice note from Nikki informed me they were E.P.'s) which were both successful: "Telescope Eyes" and "Marvelous Things". They have performed at numerous concerts and have been met with critical acclaim at every juncture. "Room Noise" is their debut album for Reprise Records which Frank Sinatra started back in the 60's.
The band's popularity has somewhat surprised the group as shown by the oldest member Chauntelle (now 22!) when she recently said: "The idea was to try to express what was happening in our little world, to describe it to ourselves." She went on to say that she and her band members are surprised by the number of people who feel a strong bond to their music. The group grew up in a close-knit family with few outside friends and no cable television but they have a close association with reality and what their bio says is the singing of songs of innocence and experience.
To be honest, on my first run through of the album, I was less than thrilled. Part of that is because I'm such a jazz fan and part of it was that the songs need to be listened to more than once to be fully appreciated. Here's my take on the music (all of which is written by band members):
1. MEMORIES
The combination of beautiful music and poetry is instantly recognizable. In the middle of the song which concerns the sowing of seeds, this line appears:
"How she sows the seeds her husband loved so much
But he's no longer here with us
But her life is so beautiful"
The song has as air of mystery as the singer voices the question "I'm always wondering where you are" but then points out that she is the one that is gone. Sung with a piano, bass and drum, the harmony of the girls shows the strong family bond.
2. TELESCOPE EYES
Strong guitar notes open this song followed by piano and vocals which exclaim the typical teen reaction of not wanting to be seen with someone a "little different". In the end, the singer proclaims that she is really just like the person she is avoiding. Deep into the song, the tempo changes and a beautiful piano solo appears.
3. I WASN'T PREPARED
Again, with a simplistic, yet beautiful opening of voice and piano, the singer sings a longing message to a lover who is no longer there. As the song progresses, the arrangement becomes more complex and includes some pulsating percussion and keyboards. The tension of the song shows how the singer suffers.
4. GOLLY SANDRA
This song opens with a pounding drum and a steel guitar so it has a country music sound. I'm a little confused about what this song is about. It points out that Sandra has grown up to be both crazy and beautiful and that the singer should have been there. I suppose this is part of the innocence and experience factor.
5. MARVELOUS THINGS
This song is one of dreams and wishes and starts with a quiet, mysterious keyboard sound followed by some equally strange lyrics:
"I awoke the dawn, saw horses growing out the lawn
I glimpsed a bat with butterfly wings"
The song is actually a celebration of life and the world around us sung with ever-increasing joy.
6. BRIGHTLY WOUND
The amazing thing about this group is that the seemingly "simplistic" is made profound by their words, music and performance. Of the first 6 songs, this is my favorite. The harmonies, the background music and the ideas expressed are all beautiful. Look at the opening lyrics:
"It's happening all the time when I open my eyes
I'm still taken by surprise
I hold sunlight and swallow fireflies
And it makes me want to cry I love you"
These words and the music show a greater understanding of the beauty of nature that doesn't often appear in our urban landscapes.
7. LOST AT SEA
This song has more of a folk music feeling to it for me. Once again, we hear a combination of the love for nature and a contemporary human love affair. Beautiful harmonies abound throughout the song.
Rather than describe my feelings for the last 5 songs, I'll just list them and point out that they are all excellent and true to the theme of the album:
8. MY LOVELY
9. JUST LIKE WE DO--beautiful harmony and guitar
10. PLENTY OF PAPER--At first, this sounds like something from a Tarentino movie---some of the best poetry on the album
11. ONE DAY I SLOWLY FLOATED AWAY--beautiful piano, beautiful singing to gorgeous, poetic lyrics.
12 TROLLY WOOD--accompanied by clapping hands and a simple keyboard note or two, this is another example that less is better.
I'm glad I heard this album. It's been reviewed 14 times already and received 5 stars almost every time. It deserves that rating. It's nice to hear talent that is understandably and not angry. FIVE STARS
Be sure and read the other entries in the write-off. Hopefully, I'll learn how to include a listing of them all in the next few days.
Texas natives Eisley offer their impressive debut on Reprise Records, entitled Room Noises. Made up of three sisters, their brother and their best fri...More at Christianbook.com
Eisley makes one of the most impressive, entertaining and instantly accessible full-length album debuts in recent memories with Room Noises. With guit...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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