Rohan Kohli
04/03/06, 02:53 PM
Rookie of the Year – The Goodnight Moon
Release Date: April 11th, 2006
Record Label: 111 Records
Track listing:
1. The Goodnight Moon
2. Poison Like Your Own
3. Silhouettes (All Eyes Above)
4. Sign of Her Glory
5. Liars and Battlelines
6. Pop Destroyed the Scene
7. The Blue Roses
8. Life, Fall Fast Now
9. Set the Sails, Red Beret
10. The Weekend
11. Enjoy This Drive
12. Having to Let Go
I must confess: when an unmastered version of The Goodnight Moon leaked four months ago in December, I did the evil deed and downloaded it, eager for new music in that oh-so-slow time of the year, release-wise. While I instantly fell in love with the gorgeous vocals, lush, soaring choruses, smooth, harmonic guitar leads, and the heaps upon heaps of layers and accents, I was unsure of the lasting power of such an accessible, immediately pleasing album. Often, the albums that demanded repeated listens before their greatness is realized are the ones with great lasting power, and by the same logic, the albums that are loved immediately are often forgotten within weeks. Such is not the case here: I loved The Goodnight Moon when I first heard it, and I still love it, four months later.
Originally the acoustic solo project of vocalist/guitarist Ryan Dunson, Rookie of the Year shows vestiges of its beginnings, incorporating acoustic guitars with the traditional emo sounds of Copeland, The Juliana Theory, and so forth. While Rookie of the Year most certainly isn’t breaking any musical barriers and easily fits into the modern emo genre, they do what they do extremely, extremely well. Songs like “Sign of Her Glory,” with its finger-snaps, gorgeous, confident leads, swelling guitars, and beautiful background vocals, will have you singing along in no time, while the low-key, piano-based, somber, yet ultimately optimistic tune “The Blue Roses” will melt the hardest of hearts. Sure, a lot of this album may be “cliché,” especially lyrically, but honestly, Rookie of the Year performs with such conviction and emotion that it’s forgivable.
The Goodnight Moon is an absolute treat to listen to on headphones – the production is damn near perfect, and there are just so many layers (vocal harmonies, guitar harmonies, background vocals, etc): my ears literally tingle with joy when I listen with my studio headphones. While the album does show a little weakness lyrically, the music and passion both more than make up for it. This album comes highly recommended for fans of Copeland, Mae, and The Juliana Theory, and is sure to find its way into my end-of-year lists. I know it’s not cool to like music like this, particularly in the “punk” scene, but I really don’t care: I love this CD. It's beautiful.
Release Date: April 11th, 2006
Record Label: 111 Records
Track listing:
1. The Goodnight Moon
2. Poison Like Your Own
3. Silhouettes (All Eyes Above)
4. Sign of Her Glory
5. Liars and Battlelines
6. Pop Destroyed the Scene
7. The Blue Roses
8. Life, Fall Fast Now
9. Set the Sails, Red Beret
10. The Weekend
11. Enjoy This Drive
12. Having to Let Go
I must confess: when an unmastered version of The Goodnight Moon leaked four months ago in December, I did the evil deed and downloaded it, eager for new music in that oh-so-slow time of the year, release-wise. While I instantly fell in love with the gorgeous vocals, lush, soaring choruses, smooth, harmonic guitar leads, and the heaps upon heaps of layers and accents, I was unsure of the lasting power of such an accessible, immediately pleasing album. Often, the albums that demanded repeated listens before their greatness is realized are the ones with great lasting power, and by the same logic, the albums that are loved immediately are often forgotten within weeks. Such is not the case here: I loved The Goodnight Moon when I first heard it, and I still love it, four months later.
Originally the acoustic solo project of vocalist/guitarist Ryan Dunson, Rookie of the Year shows vestiges of its beginnings, incorporating acoustic guitars with the traditional emo sounds of Copeland, The Juliana Theory, and so forth. While Rookie of the Year most certainly isn’t breaking any musical barriers and easily fits into the modern emo genre, they do what they do extremely, extremely well. Songs like “Sign of Her Glory,” with its finger-snaps, gorgeous, confident leads, swelling guitars, and beautiful background vocals, will have you singing along in no time, while the low-key, piano-based, somber, yet ultimately optimistic tune “The Blue Roses” will melt the hardest of hearts. Sure, a lot of this album may be “cliché,” especially lyrically, but honestly, Rookie of the Year performs with such conviction and emotion that it’s forgivable.
The Goodnight Moon is an absolute treat to listen to on headphones – the production is damn near perfect, and there are just so many layers (vocal harmonies, guitar harmonies, background vocals, etc): my ears literally tingle with joy when I listen with my studio headphones. While the album does show a little weakness lyrically, the music and passion both more than make up for it. This album comes highly recommended for fans of Copeland, Mae, and The Juliana Theory, and is sure to find its way into my end-of-year lists. I know it’s not cool to like music like this, particularly in the “punk” scene, but I really don’t care: I love this CD. It's beautiful.