Alive In Wild Paint "Ceilings" (Equal Vision)
By Kimberly Rosenbauer
Friday. May 16, 6:32 PM
Indie who?

If your mother (like mine just found out) knows about indie rock, it’s time for a new catch phrase (aka if, while listening to a band, you start daydreaming about what you’re going to have for dinner, maybe it’s not something that’s either innovative, different, or indie).

Another analogy… reviewing this album is like breaking up with a boyfriend or girlfriend for no honest reason. There’s nothing inherently sour about Alive In Wild Paint’s musical abilities or their melodies. Frontman Travis Bryant usually sings with a breathy, emotive voice while the other three members support a strong presence through their own instruments. All good components. But there’s also nothing that Ceilings has to say. Few and far between are swells with building energy leading to memorable choruses and grand solo moments. Rarely does the rhythm of a track change, if only to speed up slightly for a chorus and swiftly return to status quo. I hate to say it, but most of this album is background music. It’s not what the band is doing, it’s what they’re not doing.

Finding some tricks up their sleeves… intros, experimenting with some electronic sounds, and some more challenging rhythms (if only briefly) would certainly do this band good. Until then, most of the tracks on Ceilings play like separate sections of one big, enormously long song.

Granted, a few tracks do create a glimmer of hope for Alive In Wild Paint to stand out amongst a million other “indie” bands. Tracks like “Crystal Selves” and “Sleep With Your Soul In” introduce some syncopation, frequently changing rhythms, big changes in dynamics, and even (in the former) a dramatic slow in pace, leading to a grand finish.

While Alive In Wild Paint are one of those self-proclaimed new “indie” bands, most of the tracks here are redundant and bring nothing new to the music scene. If that’s what the kids are calling indie these days, then maybe I need to start listening to mom’s smooth jazz station.
www.aliveinwildpaint.com
www.equalvision.com

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Kimberly Rosenbauer

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