MusicTalks
10/01/08, 09:41 AM
Empires - Howl
Record Label: None
Release Date: May 27, 2008
I think the beauty of having no expectations about music is the distinct possibility you could be pleasantly surprised with what you hear. Whether it be brand new music, or music you’ve never heard, it’s the idea that you are free from any burden to like or dislike it. The option to just listen to music is a pretty empowering one – one that allows you to form your own opinions and make your own judgment. You have no obligation to like any music at all, but you certainly don’t have to like brand new music. When you get your ears on something that no one, or maybe a select few people have listened to, it gives you a sense of solidarity and privilege in what you are about to hear.
The best thing about that kind of music is finding good music. It sounds simple and it sounds elementary, but it’s really what makes music so captivating. I felt all of these things when reviewing Howl, the debut album by Empires. I chose to review this on a whim, with no expectations, and that always makes for the best listening. As it turns out, my whim turned into a good find.
Now, I have to be honest and say that I didn’t like their sound the very first time I listened to them. I was on their MySpace page and the song "Believe!" was what played first and it had this whiny, shaky vocal that kind of made me think that this was just some other run-of-the-mill band that might have some talent, but is looking to compound the oversaturation that this genre is experiencing right now. With bands popping up each day, Empires only seemed to want to make the situation worse, not better. I listen to a ton of music, so it is usually, at that point, that I move on to another artist. For some reason, I stuck around, downloaded the album and listened to it.
Howl was released via free download on 5/27/08 on the bands website, weareempires.com. Within a few weeks, the album had been downloaded some 20,000 times. Keep in mind that there is really no other outlet to get this album. They are unsigned and the album is technically, by today’s standards, unreleased. The album was pretty much made and distributed on their own. To get that many downloads is a true testament to word of mouth.
The album starts off with "Spit the Dark," a great five-minute intro that segues into the rest of their debut. With solid vocals, followed by nice drums and then guitar, it’s a good way to start the album. "I Want Blood" is the next song in the line-up and it starts off as hard-hitting as the title would indicate. It gives way to an up-tempo/angry then slowing melody that seems like the perfect revenge song to inflict on an ex. "Modern Love" starts off like an old Maroon 5 song, developing a sound similar to Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy) or Brandon Urie (Panic at the Disco) and it’s instantly catchy. "Valmont" likens itself to The Audition is instantly likable. "My Poor Lover" gives us a nice taste of soft piano while "Anywhere" could be the thematic song to conclude an edge-of-your-seat drama. "Don’t Let It Fool You" and "Hayley" are two of the slower songs accentuated by their acoustic nature and soft vocals. On the album there are only a few songs that I didn’t like, "Believe!" being one of them. The vocals in that song, and others, are shaky and suspect, leading me to wonder what a live show would sound like, or how good of a singer this guy actually is.
Overall, I found this album to be a pleasant surprise, but only because I didn’t expect anything out of it. I think most things in life are that way – if you expect nothing and get nothing, you aren’t let down. If you expect nothing and get a little something, you are pleasantly surprised. While it was nice to listen to, I found that the album has no real lasting value. A bunch were catchy, but seemed to lack a definitive characteristic. I could probably listen to a few songs more than once, but the album as a whole only held my attention long enough to get to the end. In comparison to artists that I know and like, Empires didn’t really measure up. Yet.
If Empires can grow and build on the step that Howl took, I can see them coming back with substance and staying power. If they fail to capitalize on the strength of this promising debut, they will probably end up on a shelf next to artists that you’ve listened to only once.
A mix of old/new Panic at the Disco; select Fall Out Boy songs; The Audition; catchy songs; to be pleasantly surprised with no initial expectations
myspace.com/empires (http://www.myspace.com/empires)
Record Label: None
Release Date: May 27, 2008
I think the beauty of having no expectations about music is the distinct possibility you could be pleasantly surprised with what you hear. Whether it be brand new music, or music you’ve never heard, it’s the idea that you are free from any burden to like or dislike it. The option to just listen to music is a pretty empowering one – one that allows you to form your own opinions and make your own judgment. You have no obligation to like any music at all, but you certainly don’t have to like brand new music. When you get your ears on something that no one, or maybe a select few people have listened to, it gives you a sense of solidarity and privilege in what you are about to hear.
The best thing about that kind of music is finding good music. It sounds simple and it sounds elementary, but it’s really what makes music so captivating. I felt all of these things when reviewing Howl, the debut album by Empires. I chose to review this on a whim, with no expectations, and that always makes for the best listening. As it turns out, my whim turned into a good find.
Now, I have to be honest and say that I didn’t like their sound the very first time I listened to them. I was on their MySpace page and the song "Believe!" was what played first and it had this whiny, shaky vocal that kind of made me think that this was just some other run-of-the-mill band that might have some talent, but is looking to compound the oversaturation that this genre is experiencing right now. With bands popping up each day, Empires only seemed to want to make the situation worse, not better. I listen to a ton of music, so it is usually, at that point, that I move on to another artist. For some reason, I stuck around, downloaded the album and listened to it.
Howl was released via free download on 5/27/08 on the bands website, weareempires.com. Within a few weeks, the album had been downloaded some 20,000 times. Keep in mind that there is really no other outlet to get this album. They are unsigned and the album is technically, by today’s standards, unreleased. The album was pretty much made and distributed on their own. To get that many downloads is a true testament to word of mouth.
The album starts off with "Spit the Dark," a great five-minute intro that segues into the rest of their debut. With solid vocals, followed by nice drums and then guitar, it’s a good way to start the album. "I Want Blood" is the next song in the line-up and it starts off as hard-hitting as the title would indicate. It gives way to an up-tempo/angry then slowing melody that seems like the perfect revenge song to inflict on an ex. "Modern Love" starts off like an old Maroon 5 song, developing a sound similar to Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy) or Brandon Urie (Panic at the Disco) and it’s instantly catchy. "Valmont" likens itself to The Audition is instantly likable. "My Poor Lover" gives us a nice taste of soft piano while "Anywhere" could be the thematic song to conclude an edge-of-your-seat drama. "Don’t Let It Fool You" and "Hayley" are two of the slower songs accentuated by their acoustic nature and soft vocals. On the album there are only a few songs that I didn’t like, "Believe!" being one of them. The vocals in that song, and others, are shaky and suspect, leading me to wonder what a live show would sound like, or how good of a singer this guy actually is.
Overall, I found this album to be a pleasant surprise, but only because I didn’t expect anything out of it. I think most things in life are that way – if you expect nothing and get nothing, you aren’t let down. If you expect nothing and get a little something, you are pleasantly surprised. While it was nice to listen to, I found that the album has no real lasting value. A bunch were catchy, but seemed to lack a definitive characteristic. I could probably listen to a few songs more than once, but the album as a whole only held my attention long enough to get to the end. In comparison to artists that I know and like, Empires didn’t really measure up. Yet.
If Empires can grow and build on the step that Howl took, I can see them coming back with substance and staying power. If they fail to capitalize on the strength of this promising debut, they will probably end up on a shelf next to artists that you’ve listened to only once.
A mix of old/new Panic at the Disco; select Fall Out Boy songs; The Audition; catchy songs; to be pleasantly surprised with no initial expectations
myspace.com/empires (http://www.myspace.com/empires)