 |
| |||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
| - | ||||||||||||||||
| Review | ||||||||||||||||
|
Tangents, actually spelled T A N G E N T S, is not a Metal band at all. So, why is there a review of it here if this isn't a Metal release? Well, mostly because of the band members incorporated in this project. Tangents is composed of Derek Kerswill, drummer of Unearth, and Dave Witham, vocalist of Of the Hour. So what is it? Tangents is a Pop band that is in the vein of many of today's lighter, more Adult Contemporary acts, but they manage to bring in an atmosphere to the music that one would fine in today's Progressive Hardcore acts, which manages to make this release stand out on it's own. Well, that and the fact that the band also takes from the member's heavier musical roots at times to give the music a bit of a bite. Of course, that's only some of the time. One Little Light Year varies greatly as far as the music goes. The main appeal to the release is the more Space Rock vibe the music gives off, mixed with very light music that typically goes at a rather slower pace with some suiting, calming clean vocals thown in that are actually a bit impressive, though can become a bit irritating after a while since they basically stay at the same somewhat whiny back-of-the-throat higher pitch the entire album with the only difference really being the volume at which they are being performed. While "Arrow in the Heart" makes for a good Rock song that shows hints of the aforementioned Progressive ambient rich nature that some Hardcore acts like Rosetta incorporated in their music while blending in a bit of a kick to the mix that clearly stems from the band members roots, this is one of the very few truly enjoyable songs on the album from start to finish. Much of the album goes at a very slow pace after this, full of simplistic music that isn't all that inspiring and, often, comes off forgetable, like "Fall Asleep Again" which has some additional keyboards that take the song more in the directional of a carnival sound, but in the end just doesn't do much, and is void of most of the atmosphere that does make this release stand out amongst the hordes of Pop acts out there. While "Fall Asleep Again" seems to drop the ball on the recording, things do pick up once more for "Static", which is another ambience-rich track along the lines of "Homecoming (Victory Song)", both of which lacking the bite that "Arrow in the Heart" gives off, but still manages to be soothing enough to slip away to. "Static", however, features one of the better vocal performances on the album and really finds the singer pushing himself near the end of the song to hit higher notes with a stronger performance, even though it's literally only momentarily. There is more of an effort mage again on the track "Hyde", which is perhaps the most impressive vocal performance on the entire album. This, and many other songs on here, will actually ring familiar in the ears of fans to this style, reminiscent of such acts as Ours and similar acts, just clearly more atmospheric in the long run. There aren't many tracks on here that are missing the ambient plus about this album, but even that's not enough to save all the tracks on here. Eventually, as you continue through One Little Light Year, you'll notice that things start to run together and sound like previous tracks on One Little Light Year around "The Pieces Fall", but the album manages to end on a high note with "Blind Spots", which effectively uses a brief introductory track with "What the Scanners See" to start it, though why it wasn't just part of "Blind Spots" is confusing. This track does, however, sound similar to "The Pieces Fall", though it does have a more energetic performance all around. "Watch You Go", however, is littered with space-like atmosphere through the effects used in the background and creates a very suiting atmosphere to the sluggish pace of the song that sends the album off nicely. As a side note, the only other thing that will aggrivate many people about One Little Light Year will be the fact that the album was released digitally in August of 2010, and will not see store shelves with a physical, factory pressed album until October of 2010. While many people out there into the Pop music scene don't really show much of an interest in purchasing the factory pressings, opting more for the digital files to put on their MP3 players, these files never really sound as good as the factory pressed editions, leaving those interested in obtaining this project for whatever reason who happen to hate digital downloads in the dust, or having to pay twice, once for the digital and once for a physical, to quell their collector's instinct. Sadly, this is a fad that is becoming more common, and it leaves those who prefer owning material instead of just owning the rights to the material (look at the contracts that pop up when buying these files) that can be taken away with a simple system crash, restore, or whatever, causing the owner to shell more money out in the long run, which is great for the bands and labels, but terrible for the fans. Even though the belief of physical over digital is a strong one for me, it's something that cannot be brought into the overall score. What One Little Light Year does break down to, however, is some experimental music that stems deeply into the Pop Rock and Adult Contemporary scenes, while still retaining that slight Progressive atmosphere and Space Rock style that hasn't been heard in great execution such as this in a long time. However, it does become a bit repetitive after a while, with some songs sounding as if the vocalist just tackled a similar song with a different set of lyrics and a whole other approach vocally, while not really changing the pitch of his vocals. Most of the time, the music is soothing, but the vocals can become annoying after a while due to a lack of energy behind them when there should be. All in all, One Little Light Year by Tangents is an impressive release, and shows that there will be more from Tangents in the time to come, but it also showcases the pros and cons of the band, and that the group needs to work on their material a little more to keep it from being repetitive. |
||||||||||||||||
| - | |
 |
--
--
--
--
--
 
|