Shaned
07/30/09, 05:35 PM
Sights and Sounds - Monolith
Record Label - Smallman Records
Release Date: May 26, 2009
Until this May, I had no idea who Sights and Sounds were. While I was browsing the local HMV music store, I came across this gem nestled in the store's fairly small "punk" section. After giving it a short listen and taking it home with me, I was completely blown away by this new band, but where had I heard this singer before? As it turns out Sights and Sounds is a side project from Andrew Neufeld and company, of Comeback Kid/Sick City fame. Monolith is the result of their first LP efforts. The CD is a refreshing breath of air in a sea of mediocre new bands that keep springing up like dandelions in the summer.
This album is everything I would have hoped for out of a group six years ago, and it delivers. As a sound I would classify it loosely as post-hardcore, but in reality, what you get is a nice mesh of sounds throughout the album. Giving it a full listen through is like driving your car across the country and taking in the scenery; the landscapes and clouds slowly change and float on by, much like guitar and vocals. Don't get me wrong, however. This CD is powerful. Neufeld brings his experience screaming/yelling in Comeback Kid to play in most of the songs on this album.
The production on this album is fantastic. One of my biggest complaints with bands is when the vocals are muted by the other instruments. On Monolith, producer Devin Townsend, meshes all aspects of the sound in a way that sounds "thick" and at times "floaty." There aren't any moments in which I thought the production made the music suffer. If you compare this album to their first EP, you can definitely hear the improvements in the songs that made it over, especially on "Reconcile."
The lyrics and the way they are expressed on this album are, at worst, minimalist and, at best, completely inspiring for me to pick up my guitar. They seem to complement the music and flow naturally throughout the album. The softness of Neufeld's voice alone, without instruments, in the beginning of "Pillars," building up into the song, is one of my favorite moments.
Final words on this album would be epic and moody; they take you far east and back again. Give these guys a listen, they rival Manchester Orchestra for my (new) favorite band this year.
Post Hardcore/Indie; Brand New; Old Jimmy Eat World; Music made in the late '90s early 2000s
Andrew Neufeld - Vocals, Guitar
Adrian Mottram - Guitar
Matthew Vincent Howes - Bass
Joel Neufeld - Drums
http://www.myspace.com/sightsandsounds
Record Label - Smallman Records
Release Date: May 26, 2009
Until this May, I had no idea who Sights and Sounds were. While I was browsing the local HMV music store, I came across this gem nestled in the store's fairly small "punk" section. After giving it a short listen and taking it home with me, I was completely blown away by this new band, but where had I heard this singer before? As it turns out Sights and Sounds is a side project from Andrew Neufeld and company, of Comeback Kid/Sick City fame. Monolith is the result of their first LP efforts. The CD is a refreshing breath of air in a sea of mediocre new bands that keep springing up like dandelions in the summer.
This album is everything I would have hoped for out of a group six years ago, and it delivers. As a sound I would classify it loosely as post-hardcore, but in reality, what you get is a nice mesh of sounds throughout the album. Giving it a full listen through is like driving your car across the country and taking in the scenery; the landscapes and clouds slowly change and float on by, much like guitar and vocals. Don't get me wrong, however. This CD is powerful. Neufeld brings his experience screaming/yelling in Comeback Kid to play in most of the songs on this album.
The production on this album is fantastic. One of my biggest complaints with bands is when the vocals are muted by the other instruments. On Monolith, producer Devin Townsend, meshes all aspects of the sound in a way that sounds "thick" and at times "floaty." There aren't any moments in which I thought the production made the music suffer. If you compare this album to their first EP, you can definitely hear the improvements in the songs that made it over, especially on "Reconcile."
The lyrics and the way they are expressed on this album are, at worst, minimalist and, at best, completely inspiring for me to pick up my guitar. They seem to complement the music and flow naturally throughout the album. The softness of Neufeld's voice alone, without instruments, in the beginning of "Pillars," building up into the song, is one of my favorite moments.
Final words on this album would be epic and moody; they take you far east and back again. Give these guys a listen, they rival Manchester Orchestra for my (new) favorite band this year.
Post Hardcore/Indie; Brand New; Old Jimmy Eat World; Music made in the late '90s early 2000s
Andrew Neufeld - Vocals, Guitar
Adrian Mottram - Guitar
Matthew Vincent Howes - Bass
Joel Neufeld - Drums
http://www.myspace.com/sightsandsounds