Klatzke
03/12/09, 10:32 AM
These Green Eyes - Relapse to Recovery
Record Label: Blackledge Music
Release Date: March 24, 2009
These Green Eyes' debut full length, House Of Glass, slid far under many peoples' radars. The lackluster production that was evident from the get-go kind of set the stage for this kind of failure, and unfortunately, the album met with little success overall. Attempting to overcome this flop, These Green Eyes released the digital only Ghosts EP, which featured two tracks from House of Glass, as well as two tracks from their upcoming album Relapse to Recovery. Not only did the EP re-introduce These Green Eyes to the market of listeners, it gave Relapse To Recovery a running start by displaying the change in the band from their debut and their sophomore release.
Even with the release of Ghosts and the bit of a stir it caused, there should be much more expectation for Relapse to Recovery. When you delve into it, it seems more like just a plain-old rock album than anything else. Yeah, they have a more alternative tint to many of their songs, and it's quite a bit darker than all of the sugary hook-laden pop that is coming out of every band that's in any way associated with Fueled By Ramen. A great example, in my mind's eye at least, is the more emotionally heavy kind of pop that you saw on Bayside's Shudder. This is in no way a bad thing. In fact, this album has a great emotive quality to it that you're surely not going to get from any of All Time Low's proteges.
As I said in my review of Ghosts, These Green Eyes really can't be pushed into a single genre. While I admit that it's a pop-rock record at heart, there are plenty of indicators that push it every-which-way, from post-hardcore to the nebulous concept known as "indie-rock." I call it pop based on the stylistic qualities of tracks like "Sucker Punch" and "Drunk Driver," which are both catchy enough that anyone can latch onto them and sing along without the slightest provocation. Though the instrumentation and vocal styling both have a kind of "dark" sound to them, overall, the album seems fairly upbeat for the most part, though it may dip into more solemn sections ("Blood Sweat and Beers," "Time Of Our Lives") and the lyrical content is fairly pessimistic throughout.
The instrumentation is styled like it was on House Of Glass. The guitarists are fairly ambitious, but they never really rise above the monopoly that the vocals have on the sound and take a piece for themselves. Other than the thundering bass pedals, the same can be said for the drummer. Although they all have their place in the sound, and the music is definitely guided along by them, they never hit hard enough that I could step back after a song and remember exactly what it was the individual musicians did. It may hit me that the song had a great melody, and I may be enthralled by a vocal device, but I haven't found a place where the musicians struck me in the same way. The vocalist is a cut above what I'm used to hearing. He has a pretty standard range, but it's really his delivery and tone that make an impression.
Relapse To Recovery doesn't let down throughout the full eleven track venture. The two tracks from the EP are in there, as well as seven others that have the same upbeat feel. My favorite lies in the remainder; "Time Of Our Lives" is easily my favorite track from this album, and it has a much more tame and subdued feel compared to the likes of "Sucker Punch" or "Paramedic." These lines in the chorus of this song, delivered in his wondrous tone, give me chills every time I listen: "Remember when/ life was innocent and permanent?/ I was miserable, but confident./ Oh how things change when we confess." This is the best choice they could have made for the closer, and it ends the album on a powerful note.
Relapse To Recovery isn't an album that, given a chance, I would skip out on. It's a great followup to House Of Glass, as well as an introduction to those of us that missed out on their debut at it's conception. They've perfected the faults that were evident in House Of Glass, hooked up with a better producer, and all around, released a phenomenal album. With Relapse To Recovery, it's looking as if These Green Eyes should get set and ready for a great 2009.
Bayside; The Junior Varsity; The Classic Crime
myspace.com/thesegreeneyes (http://www.myspace.com/thesegreeneyes)
Record Label: Blackledge Music
Release Date: March 24, 2009
These Green Eyes' debut full length, House Of Glass, slid far under many peoples' radars. The lackluster production that was evident from the get-go kind of set the stage for this kind of failure, and unfortunately, the album met with little success overall. Attempting to overcome this flop, These Green Eyes released the digital only Ghosts EP, which featured two tracks from House of Glass, as well as two tracks from their upcoming album Relapse to Recovery. Not only did the EP re-introduce These Green Eyes to the market of listeners, it gave Relapse To Recovery a running start by displaying the change in the band from their debut and their sophomore release.
Even with the release of Ghosts and the bit of a stir it caused, there should be much more expectation for Relapse to Recovery. When you delve into it, it seems more like just a plain-old rock album than anything else. Yeah, they have a more alternative tint to many of their songs, and it's quite a bit darker than all of the sugary hook-laden pop that is coming out of every band that's in any way associated with Fueled By Ramen. A great example, in my mind's eye at least, is the more emotionally heavy kind of pop that you saw on Bayside's Shudder. This is in no way a bad thing. In fact, this album has a great emotive quality to it that you're surely not going to get from any of All Time Low's proteges.
As I said in my review of Ghosts, These Green Eyes really can't be pushed into a single genre. While I admit that it's a pop-rock record at heart, there are plenty of indicators that push it every-which-way, from post-hardcore to the nebulous concept known as "indie-rock." I call it pop based on the stylistic qualities of tracks like "Sucker Punch" and "Drunk Driver," which are both catchy enough that anyone can latch onto them and sing along without the slightest provocation. Though the instrumentation and vocal styling both have a kind of "dark" sound to them, overall, the album seems fairly upbeat for the most part, though it may dip into more solemn sections ("Blood Sweat and Beers," "Time Of Our Lives") and the lyrical content is fairly pessimistic throughout.
The instrumentation is styled like it was on House Of Glass. The guitarists are fairly ambitious, but they never really rise above the monopoly that the vocals have on the sound and take a piece for themselves. Other than the thundering bass pedals, the same can be said for the drummer. Although they all have their place in the sound, and the music is definitely guided along by them, they never hit hard enough that I could step back after a song and remember exactly what it was the individual musicians did. It may hit me that the song had a great melody, and I may be enthralled by a vocal device, but I haven't found a place where the musicians struck me in the same way. The vocalist is a cut above what I'm used to hearing. He has a pretty standard range, but it's really his delivery and tone that make an impression.
Relapse To Recovery doesn't let down throughout the full eleven track venture. The two tracks from the EP are in there, as well as seven others that have the same upbeat feel. My favorite lies in the remainder; "Time Of Our Lives" is easily my favorite track from this album, and it has a much more tame and subdued feel compared to the likes of "Sucker Punch" or "Paramedic." These lines in the chorus of this song, delivered in his wondrous tone, give me chills every time I listen: "Remember when/ life was innocent and permanent?/ I was miserable, but confident./ Oh how things change when we confess." This is the best choice they could have made for the closer, and it ends the album on a powerful note.
Relapse To Recovery isn't an album that, given a chance, I would skip out on. It's a great followup to House Of Glass, as well as an introduction to those of us that missed out on their debut at it's conception. They've perfected the faults that were evident in House Of Glass, hooked up with a better producer, and all around, released a phenomenal album. With Relapse To Recovery, it's looking as if These Green Eyes should get set and ready for a great 2009.
Bayside; The Junior Varsity; The Classic Crime
myspace.com/thesegreeneyes (http://www.myspace.com/thesegreeneyes)