Greenville Scene

Brandy Lindsey and the Punch
Songs We Know

myspace.com/theotherbrandylindsey

by: Keith Groover

This EP, Songs We Know, features seven songs which are played well, orchestrated well, and showcase the talent of Brandy Lindsey, who has a very pretty and versatile voice. The music is officially Americana, which to me means country minus redneck, but thankfully, it doesn’t carry with it the pretension and faux-authenticity that is so common to the genre. With that said, it’s not my cup of tea, but I appreciate the talent and effort that’s gone into making this.

The first track, “White Lies”, is by far the catchiest song on the EP, thanks in no small part to its hooky vocal line and the great, blossoming finale. But what makes it (as well as “The Bitter End”) so good in some ways exposes the weaknesses of the other tracks. Where they are tight, melodically interesting, and structurally defined, several of the other songs tend to be a bit unfocused, with seemingly aimless melody lines (”Old Friend”) and obtuse structures (”To the Nines”). As a result the EP ends up not having a lot of, well, punch. Hopefully that’s a problem that an extra round of polish and production will solve the next time around, and the rest of the songs will live up to the potential shown in “White Lies” and “The Bitter End”.

So listen to their stuff on myspace and go check out a show, because regardless of how this EP hits me, they are in fact a great live band, and I think they have a bright future.

Today We Escape
. . . I’ve Made a Huge Mistake
5/10

by Keith Groover

The first thing that really caught my ear on this album occurs about halfway through the song Inexplicable Change of Heart. It’s a really cool breakdown where everything stops and there’s a dull hiss that gets louder and louder, then it’s capped off by some quick hits by the band. Then it happens again. And again. And again and again. Then the song comes back. It’s a cool moment, but there’s one very large flaw; it occurs almost thirty minutes into this overly long and under-cooked album.

This isn’t to say that there isn’t some good stuff here, but rather that there’s often too much good stuff. There’s so much music to wade through that it’s hard to separate the really good from the okay. A song that would be perfectly fine taken by itself, such as Die Right Here, ends up getting lost in the shuffle of the relentless and headache-inducing one-chord wonders of its surrounding songs.

I imagine that the band is unwilling or unable to differentiate between the sheep and the goats in its set list. By the time the last track The Ultimate Aphrodisiac finally grinds to a halt (over half of the song is the “ending”), the album seems to have dipped into self-parody.

However, if you’re willing to overlook the fatal flaw of length (the album contains over an hour of music spread across fifteen tracks), you can find some pretty interesting music and some thoughtful, if often pretentious, lyrics. Today We Escape consists of two guitarists, one of whom is also the singer and songwriter of the band, a drummer and a bass player. The sound is loud, heavy, and low, while the vocals mostly stay in the higher register. The music is riffy and grungy and generally follows a poppy verse-chorus structure, and the band is at its best when it occasionally delves into interesting rhythmic territory. Often individual songs hold up better than the album as a whole, due to the fact that many of the songs cover the same general territory and float around the same bass notes throughout. In fact, there were several times when I had to look at my CD player to see if a new riff was a new song or just a new section of the same song.

The sad thing is that I think there’s enough interesting material here that, with some simple editing and some brutal track culling, this could be a pretty good album or a really good EP. Out of the fifteen tracks, I counted nine that I think were really good songs. As it is, though, it has too much filler that simply takes up too much time. Here’s hoping for a re-release.

http://todayweescape.com
www.myspace.com/xtodayweescapex

Austin Webb
Written Photography
3/5

by: Michelle Hannon

Written Photography is actually a fitting title to Austin Webb’s debut album (or EP, as it only has seven songs.) The songs are built around Webb’s penchant for poetic description and gruff delivery. What a welcome change from the world of bland, over-done everything that is Top 40 and the local rock scene which is heavily influenced by it. Though still tender in years (he just turned 19 and was 18 when the album was made), Webb does not wallow in premature adolescent emotions very much. Instead, he has the courage to write about things that truly interest him, that truly affect him. Not every song is about some chick that dumped him. I’m not sure there’s even one of those. Refreshingly, Webb actually takes his focus off of himself from time to time to look at the world around him.

The first two songs on the EP are the most Dylan-like. “It’s A Long Way Down The Hall” opens with a harmonica swell that dives into an upbeat tune about searching for answers. A fitting beginning. The next tune, “Sound of Sorrow” is not sorrowful sounding at all. It’s another upbeat tune about starving children and war. The third track “Take Me Home” is one of the strongest of the album. Here Webb’s husky, sometimes squeaky voice lingers over sincere lyrics which only now get around to the topic of romance. “Stolen Mine Forever” is one of the few places where I think the lyrics take a turn for the cheese. Here Webb is a teenager in love. Although the imagery about eyes and ships and whatnot make me search for the FF>> button, it’s still better than anything Fergie has to say on the subject. “With A Tear” is a better take on matters of the heart with intelligent lyrics and imagery. “Freedom” is one of Webb’s ‘hits’. It is a well-composed foot stomper about politics and well, freedom. This really is a good song, but I don’t have much more to say about it simply because it’s not my favorite subject matter. The closing track “In The City” is the albums most complex arrangement. It begins with soft acoustic picking which turns into sharp staccato strumming which turns into a laid back pre-chorus which turns into a full blown band-backed chorus. It is a bit disjointed feeling at first, but the chorus is so inviting that I quickly forget about that. Webb smartly closes with a song which continues the questioning of the opener by pondering his place in the world.

Austin Webb’s first effort Written Photography drips with possibility. But there are a few things that must develop along the way if Webb is to have musical success. It is clear that this young man has raw talent as evidenced by his lyrics, playing and songwriting. However, his vocals make the songs hard to listen to at times due to their roughness. I would also like to hear stronger melodies. Don’t get me wrong, the album has good melodies, but sometimes they are lost in the gruff or need emphasis.

Austin Webb is definitely an artist to watch in 2008. You can get a start on that Friday, December 28th when he opens for Corey Smith at The Handlebar.

www.myspace.com/austinwebbmusic

Civil Twilight
Human
3.5/5

by: Jennifer Bacon

Civil Twilight is instantly likable, yet I found myself saying, “they sound like,” several times. This trio’s blend of straightforward rock songs and ballads is quite melodic and produced rather well. I have a feeling these songs translate well in the live setting, so I would not pass up an opportunity to see them perform live.

Reminiscent of the Coldplay and Radiohead-esque bands but lacking their depth, Civil Twilight’s British-pop sound is not hard to enjoy. Although not British, vocalist Stephen McKellar has an accent similar to those from over the pond. The opening track, “Is Anybody Out There?” is a rock song with a fantastic crescendo about three-fourths of the way through that launches into a nice little jam. I grew tired somewhat after the second time the chorus came around due to the repetitive refrain of the title, “Is Anybody Out There?” However the song as a whole is enjoyable.

The cd is broken up into Acts 1, 2 and 3 with five songs in each act. The third track, “Soldier” has a heavy Police feel yet also reminds me of very early Radiohead. This pop-punk song is my favorite on the album. “Human” is very touching with a simple piano melody that made me initially think of Coldplay. Lyrically it is one of my favorite tracks on the album. “Stolen” is a hauntingly beautiful ballad that is comparable to Jeff Buckley and is almost a capella as the vocals match the eerie tone of the faint guitar part.

Overall I definitely recommend Civil Twilight. For a trio, their sound is full, the vocals are top-notch and the range of instruments offers variety in the songs. I’d be interested to see them live.

www.myspace.com/civiltwilightband
www.civiltwilightband.com