Reviews: Elemae - A Life To Be Defined
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RAW NERVE PROMOTIONS (http://www.rawnervepromotions.co.uk)
The upside down sky picture on the cover looks confusing but very stylish as well and this New Jersey 4 piece introduce the album 'A life to be defined' with some great sounds and feedbacks during 'Fission', before the downbeat rock rhythms of 'Odemo' drift in, sharing as much similarity from here on in, to Husker Du as Nickleback, and Pearl Jam as Sensefield, especially during the quiveringly melancholic 'Something synthetic'.
'Beautiful things' is a little more upbeat but has a darker mood to it, again being very Sensefield in style and even moreso in vocal. 'Fret echo' is a beautifully chilled piece, a little similar to less complex to Tool songs. A noisier ending in 'No song' rounds things off rather well. In fact I would happily hear more of that style in future releases.
A good release of simple yet stirring emotions.
Embrace (http://www.icestormcity.com/ircsax/embrace)
This New Jersey's alternative rock heroes are an underground classic waiting to happen. "A Life To Be Defined" is a 12 slices of pure, undiluted, both emotional and rocking songs, the likes of which I haven't come across since Sense Field's "Building". Infact, the lead singer voice is quite similar to Jonathan Bunch (who is the singer for Sense Field). Not in the least bit original, but highly entertaining and emotionally inspired especially with the mature lyrics based around topics of love, life and relationships. This is only a compilation song from their 1999-2000 recordings. Their newest album schedule to be out early 2005 on Engineer, and I can't wait.
Scene It All (http://sceneitall.net)
One of New Jersey's most infamous melodic emo bands, Elemae, hasn't had nearly the credit or promotion they could possibly deserve. Engineer Records has decided to change that fact and has acquired the license to re-release their popular album, "A Life To Defined". Engineer has taken the challenge to re-release Elemae's entire self-released material in anticipation of their upcoming new album later this year. Elemae have toured with many bands in their time including Braid, Onelinedrawing, and Brandtson. Many have already gained a huge appreciation for this excellent band, and many have still yet to discover their addicting sound.
After the very brief intro track, "Odemo" starts out and immediately gives the feeling of a very genuine yet well created sound. The vocals are emotional but don't sound overly produced, which is a rare thing in this genre. The musicianship is great and simple, very smooth riffs and supporting drums play out the song very well. "Something Synthetic" is beautifully done, and is a very laid back song. This is the kind of music you can listen to when you're looking to chill and just relax. As much as I love much harder genres, there is a time for style's like this, and when those times come, Elemae is perfect. "Upside Out" has a distinct sound change to it from its predecessors. It's got a more upbeat tempo and the vocals are a little deeper. Elemae certainly don't stick to the same rhythm over and over again, you can tell they try to create a level of diversity in their music.
"This Curtain Is My Veil" has a very mellow intro with an awesome riff that proves very effective in grabbing your attention. The timing of the vocals are perfect, and when they finally appear, they have a gloomier feeling to them than usual. This track is where you can really hear influences of former Sense Field vocalist Jon Bunch. "Farewell" picks up the pace with a catchy little drumbeat, and a tad bit heavier guitar chugs. This track is more "rockier" than the others, and displays yet another transition on Elemae's part. The album concludes with "No Song" which begins with some cool guitar effects and lead into a great acoustic track, and great finale. This is my favorite track off the album, mainly because I love acoustic music, and partly because the lyrics are great.
"A Life To Be Defined" was my first exposure to Elemae due to their small-spread distribution of self-released albums in the Jersey area, and I'm glad that Engineer took the time to bring this record to a broader audience. This band has a lot of heart in their music, and they have very genuine abilities. The production is done well while still keeping the integrity of the work in it's proper place. I'd recommend this cd as well as Elemae's previous and future releases to anyone looking for some beautiful music, with meaningful lyrics and heartfelt vocals.
Source Lost During Site Update
New Jersey's most melodic, yet edgy and original, alternative band. A diverse mix of post-hardcore to indie-rock mastering new influences with the older styles and hinting at their influences like Elliott, SenseField, Fugazi and Mineral. This twelve track album is packed full of catchy alternative rock.
