Ellison - Say Goodnight, Sleep Alone
Release Date: 8/22/06
Record Label: Carbon Copy Media
For the more discerning music listeners in this musical circle of ours, the name "JT Woodruff" does not exactly carry with it the most positive of connotations. As the lead singer of one of independent rock's most generic (but successful) bands in Hawthorne Heights, Woodruff is no stranger to what it takes to succeed in the music business, but to many that approach comes across as an overly-conservative reliance on formula that has done little for the progression of the scene. Thus, when I got my copy of Ellison's Say Goodnight, Sleep Alone, and Woodruff's name was plastered there in massive letters on the cellophane's sticker, I had my fair share of reservations. One could only imagine what Woodruff's first signing under his Carbon Copy Media label would be. Without having ever heard a song on the disc itself, I had Ellison pegged as Hawthorne Heights Jr. - a protégé in the most literal sense.
It is safe to say that it took no more than 30 seconds of Ellison's emo-pop goodness to realize how far off-center my preconceptions were. Ellison could not be a further departure from the sound of Hawthorne Heights, but instead come across as being more aligned with Copeland or Daphne Loves Derby. That is not to say that Ellison is a direct ripoff of either band, however. The boys here take an approach that could be best described as an elaboration on Beneath Medicine Tree's rock tracks. If you were going to construct an entire album off the premise of songs like "Walking Downtown" and "She Changes Your Mind," the result would very much resemble Say Goodnight, Sleep Alone. And by and large, that is a plus.
Sonically, Ellison takes a few basic ideas and sticks to what they know and do best. And perhaps, therein lies both the most positive and negative aspects of the album in question. On the plus side, everything on Say Goodnight, Sleep Alone sounds - well, extremely lovely. The guys know their strengths, and they do no deviate too far from the trail of breadcrumbs. Guitar lines are subtle and simple, in such a way that Ellison would never be truly considered a guitar-driven rock band. However, this is not necessarily a cause for unrest, as they still serve as a pleasant undercurrent to the record's main vocal focus. When on his own, Josh Hill croons with the best of his scene brethren, tying up the breathy, ethereal outline of Ben Gibbard, but with any hint of shoegaze replaced by the full-belly confidence of This Day and Age's Jeff Martin. The group really shines, though, when the band's unassuming instrumentation is privy to serve as backdrop for their decadent vocal harmonies. Slick and textured, but never sounding fake, Ellison is at its best when they hit their choruses, as seen on such beauties as "Joanna, Open Your Eyes" and the bouncy "Holiday Drive-In."
In a lyrical sense, Ellison is certainly not blazing any new trails. Their wide-eyed innocence in writing and singing about young love and other such emo mainstays is refreshingly honest and endearingly personal in a way, but by the record's mid-point, it kind of starts to run together. And really, the same can be said about the group's sound, as song structures repeat themselves and walk the line in the safe, mid-tempo purgatory that is kind of a musical no-man's-land. The tunes are too rocky to be fragile, and too soft-edged to be truly driving. While this creates a strong sense of identity for Ellison as a whole, the lack of differentiation might bore anyone but the most sensitive rockers. In essence, it would be beneficial to Ellison to embrace its atypical cuts on their next effort. For anthemics, it does not get much better than the bittersweet yearning of "Leaving Tomorrow" with its jumpy riff and furry synth tones. Likewise, for a project that started out as an acoustic experiment, Ellison seems to almost shun those humble roots. The one exception to this, of course, is the sparse, minimalist "Short Love," whose acoustic strums pair with Hill's falsetto as good as any Pinot and top-notch steak. These steps outside the bounds of what might be considered "cookie-cutter" or "playing it safe" are quite promising indicators of what we could expect from a more diverse Ellison, and if embraced, could make for a truly excellent follow-up. In the meantime, enjoy this emotive morsel of well-executed indie-pop - it is most definitely worth a look.
I know they actually had their cd hit stores before the HH/Victory lawsuit stuff. Did the lawsuit have any effect on their distribution or anything since the release?
I know they actually had their cd hit stores before the HH/Victory lawsuit stuff. Did the lawsuit have any effect on their distribution or anything since the release?
I wondered that exact same thing too. I sure hope not - I would bet there are some provisions for stuff like that in the contract, I would hope.
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