Scott Irvine
03/23/07, 06:42 PM
For Your Eyes Only - A Mind Awake
Released December 12th, 2006
Unsigned
Victory Records, oh baby, scoop these guys up into your overcrowded cradle of corporate-indie love. Aurora, Illinois’s For Your Eyes Only seem all too steadfast in heading their direction anyway, so one can only expect too much from the following. A Mind Awake is seemingly all too asleep to the developing post-hardcore scene around them. Though thoroughly technical and rather impressive at sporadic points in the EP, this outdated and overdone style shouldn’t be scoring interest at this point.
Saosin aficionados will get a kick out of hearing a second-hand replica, but other than that there is pretty much nothing new here, folks. Lyrically, vocalist Eric Lugo sings in the key of optimism, which is slightly refreshing because normally we hear anything but from bands in the vein of For Your Eyes Only. This, however, doesn’t stop lines such as “Taste the blood/It’s what you want/But in the end/It belongs to you” destroying any credibility this band has in the latter respect. I don’t suspect you expect any better, however. Lugo has some impressive pipes, and screamer Ian Pike has got some decent range, but it doesn’t make up for that feeling of “I’ve heard this before.” That may be the attraction here considering most listeners find trepidation in exploring more progressive acts and promptly cream over each band that rehashes material, but A Mind Awake might even produce hesitation in the previously mentioned demographic.
I say the latter because of this watered-down, somewhat insipid trek down the beaten path. The only track that caught my ear for more than thirty seconds was “Into the Sky”. The pace, especially followed through with the chafing guitar lead, is a notable venture for the band, considering few other parts stand out. Second to last track, “Perfection”, has great intentions, again with wonderfully technical leads intertwining and harmonizing delightfully. "No Wind, No Waves" also has its moments with one of the more poppy tones on the album; a style the band seemingly wears fairly well. Although surprisingly good subtleties like that are welcomed, they just can’t save this EP. It’s promising if you’re investing in the commonplace. Nevertheless, For Your Eyes Only refuses to go beyond the bare minimum to get noticed by MySpace-hugging bottom feeders.
Color me intolerant of unoriginality, but constantly hearing the "same" song under a different band name and album title has taken its toll on me. Divergence from the norm isn't necessary to get label support, but it damn well should. For Your Eyes Only have honed their skills on their respective instruments, however breaking out of their non-creative shell should be the next step in their careers. If not, we'll be seeing them between The Forecast and Four Letter Lie on Victory's ever growing, and consistently disappointing roster. Consider me breaking these guys in a favor to you Brummel. You're welcome.
Released December 12th, 2006
Unsigned
Victory Records, oh baby, scoop these guys up into your overcrowded cradle of corporate-indie love. Aurora, Illinois’s For Your Eyes Only seem all too steadfast in heading their direction anyway, so one can only expect too much from the following. A Mind Awake is seemingly all too asleep to the developing post-hardcore scene around them. Though thoroughly technical and rather impressive at sporadic points in the EP, this outdated and overdone style shouldn’t be scoring interest at this point.
Saosin aficionados will get a kick out of hearing a second-hand replica, but other than that there is pretty much nothing new here, folks. Lyrically, vocalist Eric Lugo sings in the key of optimism, which is slightly refreshing because normally we hear anything but from bands in the vein of For Your Eyes Only. This, however, doesn’t stop lines such as “Taste the blood/It’s what you want/But in the end/It belongs to you” destroying any credibility this band has in the latter respect. I don’t suspect you expect any better, however. Lugo has some impressive pipes, and screamer Ian Pike has got some decent range, but it doesn’t make up for that feeling of “I’ve heard this before.” That may be the attraction here considering most listeners find trepidation in exploring more progressive acts and promptly cream over each band that rehashes material, but A Mind Awake might even produce hesitation in the previously mentioned demographic.
I say the latter because of this watered-down, somewhat insipid trek down the beaten path. The only track that caught my ear for more than thirty seconds was “Into the Sky”. The pace, especially followed through with the chafing guitar lead, is a notable venture for the band, considering few other parts stand out. Second to last track, “Perfection”, has great intentions, again with wonderfully technical leads intertwining and harmonizing delightfully. "No Wind, No Waves" also has its moments with one of the more poppy tones on the album; a style the band seemingly wears fairly well. Although surprisingly good subtleties like that are welcomed, they just can’t save this EP. It’s promising if you’re investing in the commonplace. Nevertheless, For Your Eyes Only refuses to go beyond the bare minimum to get noticed by MySpace-hugging bottom feeders.
Color me intolerant of unoriginality, but constantly hearing the "same" song under a different band name and album title has taken its toll on me. Divergence from the norm isn't necessary to get label support, but it damn well should. For Your Eyes Only have honed their skills on their respective instruments, however breaking out of their non-creative shell should be the next step in their careers. If not, we'll be seeing them between The Forecast and Four Letter Lie on Victory's ever growing, and consistently disappointing roster. Consider me breaking these guys in a favor to you Brummel. You're welcome.