AMFM less than interestingAMFM’s new EP, “The Sky Is The New Ground,” is an extensively textured album. Unfortunately, rather than creating an expansive soundscape, this method just makes for an uninteresting mess.
While the premise of starting with catchy chord structures and then building upon them is a common concept that is put to good use in many bands, AMFM’s failure lies in the fact that there is nothing for a listener to latch onto.
For example, the last track on the album, entitled “All to Remember,” is a seven-minute epic that is built upon a simple keyboard loop and electronic drums.
Guitar, extra keyboards, and vocals are added, but none of these elements help to define or shape the song. It’s not that the songs are necessarily bad, just not very memorable.
Because of these factors, a listener is hard pressed to decipher the intent of the musicians behind this music. It’s too abrasive to be background music and too characterless to hold your full attention.
Perhaps this EP is an unfair representation of what the band’s next album will sound like, but judging from this release it would be fair to say that it won’t warrant much attention.
Cave In creates buzz with “Tides of Tomorrow”
While many bands seem to employ stylistic changes as their musical talents and interests grow, Cave In has taken this method to the extreme.
In spite of the fact that the band’s initial outings were unparalleled in their assault at their fans’ eardrums, Cave In soon progressed from speed metal masters to progressive rock pioneers.
The band’s new EP, “Tides Of Tomorrow,” continues in this tradition as it helps to build and define the sound that Cave In nearly perfected on their last full-length CD, “Jupiter.”
The hype created from the aforementioned album coupled with the band’s intense live performances helped to win the band a major label contract with RCA. While presently in the studio crafting the songs that will appear on their major label debut, the band managed to record the six gems that comprise their new EP in order to appease the fans eagerly awaiting the new album.
Stylistically, the band has attempted to streamline their once open-ended songs into a more pop-oriented conciseness. This endeavor does little to keep Cave In from exploring interesting sonic possibilities as they take their compositions farther than most rock bands attempt. This is achieved with the spacey use of delay in addition to the crooning vocals of the band’s singer/songwriter, Stephen Brodsky.
The stand out track of the album, “Dark Driving,” highlights Cave In’s explosiveness as well as developing their time-tested use of dynamics. While the rhythm section establishes the track, the full band soon smashes into the catchy yet hard hitting chorus preempted by Brodsky’s warning, “the reality check is in the mail.”
This line might be more of a premonition than the band suspects, if they continue to write songs like this for their new album. Indeed the reality of the situation will be that Cave In might finally capitalize on years of hard work.