"Hey man. Check these guys out."
It seems like every other day friends, musicians, promoters, and critics alike are shoving album after album, act after act, into our hands proclaiming "this band" to be the greatest thing the world has ever had the pleasure of hearing on a purple backed CD-R smeared with sharpie marker. I would venture to say that on any given day, I'm presented with a minimum of 5 bands or artists to "check out". While most of these artists are "checked off" my list of worthwhile and innovative tunes (See what I did there? - Made a clever pun while also making myself out to be a complete know-it-all hipster jackass), ever so often a band stands out and really catches my attention. I want to make it my own personal initiative to take some time each month to review a great Texas based unsigned act, and respectfully play the role of the know-it-all hipster jackass who heads your way at a local show with a bottle of Lone Star in one hand and a "purple backed CD-R" in the other and say, "Hey man. Check these guys out."
Today I want to introduce you to or draw your attention to a truly innovative Dallas based 5 piece Indie Rock outfit - AIR REVIEW. AIR REVIEW has received a lot of positive press this past year after releasing their debut full length album, LANDMARKS in August of 2009. Kami Fuller of The Examiner called their debut performance "immaculately polished". Pete Freedman of the Dallas Observer said of their sold out House of Blues - Cambridge Room performance - “they've managed to develop a little bit of a buzz around their show--enough, at least, so that they're on our radar pretty early in the game.” I say,
"One of most energetic and intriguing live shows I've seen from an unsigned artist in years that truly bared a strong resemblance to that of the Brit greats. (ex. Radiohead, Coldplay) - after seeing them play to a packed house at Trees in Dallas.
While the energy behind an Air Review performance may be comparable to Coldplay, the composition of Air Review's progressive, colorful, and carefully crafted tunes displace the band within the ever growing sea of "Experimental Indie" swimmers and divers thus enabling them to avoid being pigeon-holed into any set genre or be cast to the side as just another short lived imitation. Doug Hale - Lead Vocals, Piano, Guitar, and Programming, Hank Bentley - Guitars, Piano, and Vocals, Jeff Taylor - Bass, Vocals, and Programming, Justin Robinson - Drums and Vocals set out more than 3 years ago to piece together a truly diversified and creative sound that not only commands the attention of the day-to-day radio scanner, but that also appeals to the more selective ear of the critical music enthusiast.
The band literally spent years tirelessly rehearsing, writing, re-writing, and recording an album before they ever took the stage, an approach not too commonplace in today's major musical cities - over saturated with gun-jumping amateur acts. After listening to Landmarks in it's entirety, it becomes quite clear that each of it's 11 songs were carefully selected and placed with intent in order to form an unmitigated fusion of diverse stylistic complements.
"Chasing Corporate" is undoubtably the band's catchy and playful single consisting of plenty of cleverly woven moments of deliberate calls for crowd participation whether that be with claps, snaps, or singing - a song that is as engaging as it is intriguing.
This writer's favorite track "All Because You're Mine" resounds with ambient emotion with hauntingly smooth vocals accompanied by beautifully intensity of an eerily charged piano, velvety strings, cohesive group vocals, and topped off with a screaming guitar solo that soars through the listener's newly effervescent musical acuity.
The folky "Can't See The Sun" is an acoustically driven break from the previous four tunes, complete with layered group vocals, snaps, electric piano, oooooo's, and even a banjo - proof that even AIR REVIEW's more laid back compositions are wrought with serious intention and creativity.
The album's closing track, "Jura" is clad with a smooth and ambient sweetness made quickly evident by the lullaby-esque lead vocals of Hale accompanied by acoustic picking, sleigh bells, and staggered Christmas-like layered backing vocals - a demonstration that voice can often serve as a far more beautiful complement than a traditional pad or organ.
Of the album as a whole - each song is substantially different from the previous as far as arrangement, instrumentation, and sound. The critical ear can tell that multiple instruments of the same type were used in the production of this album in order to achieve that perfect snare sound or fitting guitar tone giving each song it's own individuality. It is clear that a lot of TLC went into the production of Landmarks.
I could spend more time raving about this band that some of you have never heard of or you could head on over to iTunes and purchase their debut full length. Those of you who know me, know I love to rant and rave. But, seriously, go buy this album. You will not be disappointed and if you are, then simply steer clear from my later posts.
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Cheers,
Bo Michael King
