The Drive To Five: Revenge of The Fallen

Welcome back to our look back at the Platinum Vinyl Awards first four years as we move on toward #PlatVnyl5 this Spring (yes, fellow Northeastern Chums, it will arrive). When last we were on this topic we had just begun our discussion of #PlatVnyl3, which had taken place in the Spring of 2013 for the 2011-12 year releases. Today we will be discussing the Comebacks as well as the artists that broke up during the eligibility year.

We grew each year in the Comeback of The Year award and this year was no exception. Third Year, Three Comebacks. But Boy oh Boy what comebacks they were. 

We would Kiss the lead singer of the first comeback, but she's already taken. That would be Leigh Nash of Sixpence None The Richer. You may recall that their claim to fame was the single Kiss Me. Well it was a long time between kisses, as their album Lost In Transition came out an entire decade after Divine Discontent. A lot of reviewers panned it, and it wasn't really their best work, but it made the pool with a near perfect 4.75 Emeralds. It did not get an Alternative Album of The Year nomination, though.

Our second comeback artist was from the sub-genre known as Ska. No, it wasn't the Supertones, they would make their bid for comeback platinum in #PlatVnyl4. This was for Motor City Ska's The Insyderz.They always played second fiddle to the Supertones (no, there are no fiddles in ska bands, that's only for the Annie Moses Band). The Sinners Songbook also received a nomination for Best Rock Album.

The final nominee for the award was also the biggest by far. I mean, how many bands strike multiple platinum on their debut? How many redefine their genre and spawn their own sub-genre? How many get to watch the entire industry rush to copy your sound, while at the same time try to exclude you from it? And by industry, I mean CCM. The band of course, is Evanescence. I always found it funny that a band named after the rapture couldn't be accepted by the CCM industry, but such was the case. The self titled third studio album (there is a Live Album in the Mix) was Perfect Platinum, and boy did it shine. It took Comeback of the Year, The Night Beat DJ's Choice Award, Song of The Year and Album of The Year. It also was honorarily given the Night Beat Fallen Award, an award that they were personally responsible for creating, as the band getting Kicked Out of The Kingdom after the release of their debut album Fallen was the impetus for the award. It was nominated for a few more awards that it did not win. Since then, they are on hiatus. Touring takes a lot out of you. They have not broken up, however.

One band did break up after getting their award (the ingratitude!). That was Abel The Band. Their release Make It Right was nominated for Album of The Year, the Song Fire Walk with Me was nominated for Song of The Year. They were also nominated for Alternative Album and Alternative Song of The Year, which they won. I would say that they were the victims of "The Night Beat Curse", sort of like the SI Cover Jinx. Except I don't believe in curses. 

When next we return we shall discuss the Inaugural Video of The Year Awards. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Flashback Friday: Return of The Clone Prince

No I didn't spell the title wrong, the word is cloned. No, this isn't a Bob Dylan Post. Don't worry, things will become clearer soon. I could have used Send in The Clones or A Clone Again (Naturally).

Earlier in our Flashback Friday journey we met Randy Stonehill, someone whom, while a great musician, also had a fairly warped sense of humor, and has been the counterbalance to the often over serious CCM Universe. While Uncle Randy may have been Christian Music's Clown Prince, our latest subject excelled not in humor but in biting satire.

Roland Steven Taylor was born December 9, 1957 in Southern California, the son of a Pastor. The family soon up an moved to Denver Colorado. Maybe it was a mis-wiring of the brain, maybe it was the lack of oxygen in Denver. Whatever the reason, it is quite obvious that Steve (aren't you glad he didn't go by Roland) Taylor doesn't think like the typical Christian, and while the Industry may have rued the day he was born, Christian College Students and DJ's loved him.

One of the few Academic Elites of Christian Music (alright, alright, he was a Music Major). He started his adult career as a Youth Minister and Janitor at his father's Church. Musically he says The Clash, specifically London Calling "saved his life". While at Colorado University he recorded a few demo songs, and he went to Southern California after graduation to try to get signed by a mainstream label. He was unsuccessful, but one man, Jim Chaffee, was impressed and got him a job as assistant director of The Continentals.


Anyone who knows of Taylor's music knows he wasn't anything like the continentals. Chaffee got him another job, this time with Chuck Bolte's Jeremiah People, a Musical Comedy Troupe with heavy doses of satire. I remember them back in the 80's. They were great. Of course for pure comedy value Isaac Air Freight was superior.

Chaffee's Cheer leading finally paid off when he convinced Tayor's first boss, Cam Floria, founder of The Continentals, to give Taylor a two song slot at his Christian Artists Conference in Estes Park, Colorado. Maybe it was the home crowd, but the Crowd Acclaim convinced Billy Ray Hearn, President of Sparrow Records, to sign Taylor as he came off the stage.

Clone Wars 

I Want To Be A Clone (1983) was a hit. The Six Song EP sold 85,000 copies, and in an industry dominated at the time by The Imperials, that was quite a showing. Christian Kids everywhere were introduced to attitude. Taylor launched his sarcastic wit directly on the Church, as Clone focused on the Christian Churches penchant for turning out cookie cutter Christians. Churchianity as it is called. Let Taylor tell you in his own way.

 Taylor's Meltdown

Meltdown (1984) was Taylor's full length debut, and anyone worried that he couldn't find enough targets to fill an album needn't have worried. The title cut focused on our celebrity obsession, and was sparked by a trip to Madame Tussuad's Wax Museum. He saw the statues and wondered "What would happen if someone turned up the heat". Kids, remember, he only THOUGHT it. Due to clone's success he decided to form a permanent touring band. He raided the studio musicians from clone to do it, and lest we forget who was the real star, he named them Some Band, as in Steve Taylor and Some Band. Meltdown was Taylor's first Music Video, and it also "starred" Lisa Welchel (The Facts of Life) in a supporting role as a TV Reporter.

Two memorable songs came out of Meltdown. While the title cut focused on our obsession with celebrity, the other song targeted bigotry in the Church, and apartheid as well. This is We Don't Need No Color Code Taylor was on a roll, and he kept up a pace of an album a year. Taylor's fertile mind, 80's Pop Culture, and the budding Televangelism Scandals, provided plenty of material for Taylor's Wit to focus on. For On The Fritz (1985) Taylor, in a most memorable "Fashion" turned his satire on the Public School system and the practice of teaching "Values Clarification". to the young skulls full of mush. For the song "Lifeboat" and its accompanying Music Video, Taylor enlisted the support of Mrs. Aryan "the world's ugliest woman". See if you agree. Even though I went to Public School, I seem to have missed out on the Lifeboat game. That's not saying I had to fight liberal indoctrination. Even though I wasn't tasked with deciding who lives and who dies, I did hear about "situational ethics". You know the drill "In certain situations Lying, Stealing, Cheating, etc is the best thing to do. People's feelings will be hurt or worse if you told them the truth. For the poster boy of the teaching, look no further than our 42nd President, William Jefferson Clinton.

1986 brought Limelight, a filler EP recorded in London during the 1985 Greenbelt Festival. 1987 Gave us "I Predict, 1990, an album which was more controversial than successful. It was attacked for its cover by some who thought that there were images of Tarot Cards on it (there weren't). Jimmy Swaggart included an entire chapter of his book Religious Rock and Roll, A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing on Taylor, and even the NOW gang was outraged when they protested against the song I Blew Up The Clinic Real Good. Considering that Taylor's forte was Satire, that meant that the NOW gang actually was protesting for bombing, since Taylor was saying it was wrong. Tayor Retired soon after I Predict, 1990, but soon resurfaced as frontman of the MCA band Chagall Guevara (don't be ashamed if you can't pronounce it). This is Violent Blue Taylor returned for one more album, Squint in 1993. This is Cash Cow.


Taylor has had a very busy retirement. He has produced 5 Newsboys albums, as well as Guardians Buzz and Bottle Rocket, among others, and his Label Squint Entertainment brought both Sixpence None The Richer and Chevelle to the limelight. That's a nice ending Cash Cow-Hat's off to the bull.

Recently Taylor has turned to the Movies. He is the Director of Blue Like Jazz, which came out this year. Of course his fans wish, even now, that he would make another album. We need his satire more today than ever. After all there is only one Steve Taylor. We can't clone him.
UPDATE 2014: The Clone Prince Is Back. He's still working with Peter Furler and Guardian and the like, but like a true artist, he just cant stay retired. His latest band is called Steve Taylor and The Perfect Foil. The Debut album, and its video is called Goliath. That is it for this week. I Am Awaiting Your Reply.
 

Flashback Friday: Kiss Me

Welcome back to an all new edition of Flashback Friday. We are concluding our current three post rotation with A Real Alternative. This weeks band toiled fairly obscurely in the CCM world until a simple request for a kiss thrust them into the mainstream.

Sixpence None The Richer, or simply Sixpence, was one of the Pioneers of Christian Alternative in the late 90's. It was fitting perhaps, that they were launched into the forefront by probably the most Alternative Artist of them all, Steve Taylor. Taylor, like Sixpence, and a lot of artists with crossover appeal, was uneasy with the "Christian Band" Label. Though there was no doubt about Christian bona-fides. They never fit in with the mold the industry tried to fit them in. Unlike other bands, however, (Evanescence, Creed, and recently P.O.D. come to mind) they were able to walk the tightrope fairly easily.

Kiss me started it all, on their self titled album back in 1997, which was actually their third album, though for all intents and purposes, most people think it is their debut.

The album also featured a hidden track cover of "there she goes" by the La La's on a later pressing.

It took five long years for Leigh Nash and company to come up with another album and Divine Discontent (2002) was the result. With this album the Crossover was complete, and some would say that they were no longer "Christian". Breathe Your Name was the big single, and they did another cover, this time of Don't Dream it's Over by Crowded House. Ironically, the name was prophetic, because within to years the band broke up.

The breakup lasted a decade, and was finally fixed last year, with the release of Lost in Transition (2012). The album was released to mixed reviews. While it doesn't have the magic of their eponymous release, it marks a fitting entry point back in the market. As they say, better sooner than later.


That concludes our look at sixpence. There is one additional note. During their decade long hiatus Leigh teamed up with one of my favorite Techno bands in Delerium and the result was known as Fauxliage. I think Sixpence needs to look in this direction in the future. Who knows. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

The Night Beat Christmas Parade: Leigh's Angels

Leigh Nash that is, as in Sixpence None The Richer. The latest edition of the Christmas Parade brings us back to Sixpence. We did Silent Night by them back on the sixth of the month. This time we go with a Music Video of Angels we have heard on high.

We will be continuing with the Christmas Parade on a pretty regular basis, though I can't promise daily. Until the next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

The Night Beat Christmas Parade: Silent Night, Sixpence Style

We return to our Night Beat Christmas Parade, this time featuring a returning favorite, Sixpence None The Richer.  Leigh and company recently returned to the scene after a really long absence, and the new album did not disappoint. This is a Music Video for Silent Night.

Keep it here for more great Christmas Music. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Warm Tones: The 2012 4th Quarter - Alternative

Today we tackle the biggest genre of the 4th Quarter, Alternative. A whopping seventeen releases made the minimum bar of eligibility. Remember that we will have to narrow down things to hopefully, seven. Not likely. This genre will have to be expanded in order to be fair.

• Abel - Make It Right
• Anchor and Braille - The Quiet Life
• The Classic Crime - Phoenix
• Luke Dowler - Polarized
• Benjamin Dunn and The Animal Orchestra - Fable
• Future of Forestry - Young Man Follow
• House of Heroes - Cold Hard Want
• Luminate - Welcome to Daylight
• The Museum - My Only Rescue
• Mac Powell - Mac Powell
• Paper Route - The Peace of Wild Things
• Remedy Drive - Resuscitate
• Showbread - Cancer
• Sixpence None The Richer - Lost in Transition
• Tenth Avenue North - The Struggle
• Derek Webb - Ctrl
• The Wrecking - So Much for Love

Whew. That takes a lot of work to type. The last four genres are a lot lighter, though with 5 to 7 entries each, they each can support a category on its own. Until next time, when I will announce Pop, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Music Video Monday: Sooner Than Later

Welcome back to the latest edition of Music Video Monday. It's October 1, 2012, and that means that we have begun the First Quarter of the 2013 (or 4th) Platinum Vinyl Awards. At least I can say that as the First Quarter of 2013 begins I am on the 4th Quarter of 2012.

We begin with a band which will be nominated in several categories, not the least of which will be comeback of the year. If you consider The Dawn of Grace (2008), which was a Christmas Release, it's been four years. For the non seasonal studio release Divine Discontent (2002), you saw that right, it has been TEN YEARS. Either way comeback is appropriate. This is Sooner Than Later from the just released Lost in Transition by Alternative legends Sixpence None The Richer.

This next one is a two-fer. Both Group 1 Crew and Chris August recently released new studio albums. Deciding to be extremely nice to us here at The Night Beat, Group 1 Crew released this video He Said (Feat. Chris August) from Fearless.

An Epic No Less is a promising new band, and this is Mercy Light from Echo of Love.

Finally we conclude this edition of Music Video Monday with the sophomore release of The Museum, which was entitled My Only Rescue. This is Love Will Find You off of that album.

That concludes this edition of Music Video Monday. We will continue with our Fourth Quarter Releases next week. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Flashback Friday: The Fab 3 - PFR

Joel, Patrick, and Mark. Maybe it doesn't roll off the tongue as easy as John, Paul, George and Ringo, but that's not to say that this trio isn't in the same rarefied air For those not up to date on things, that foursome is The Beatles, the true kings of Rock and Roll (Sorry Elvis). Joel, Patrick and Mark are Joel Hanson (Guitar), Patrick Andrew (Bass), and Mark Nash (Drums) - also known as PFR. (A little side note: The initials stand for Pray For Rain, which is the actual name of the band. However, before they even got started, they were sued and had to change the name to PFR. More on that later.

Having grown up on both The Beatles (as well as the 70's version, Paul McCartney and Wings), and then experiencing PFR, my mind immediately made a connection. Now the analogy isn't perfect, but there are enough stylistic similarities to brand PFR the "Christian Beatles". They are a whole lot more similar than Love Song, in my opinion. So if The Beatles started in the U.S. instead of the U.K., and they could only round up three members, they would probably sound like PFR.

Like I said, the band was originally called Pray For Rain. Did you know that there was already a band by that name? Yeah, I didn't either, and probably neither did this trio. The other Pray For Rain, the one with high priced lawyers, they do nothing but do movie soundtracks for movies like Sid and Nancy (1986). Alex Cox is usually the director of these films.

During their brief career they put out four albums:

• Pray For Rain (1992)
• Goldie's Last Day (1993)
• Great Lengths (1994)
• Them (1996)

Goldie's Last Day is actually about the death of Patrick Andrew's Golden Retriever, and it has some Beatles homages in it.Next up is Great Lengths and Anything
And finally we end with Wonder Why.
These videos are from their 12 in 2012 "Reunion" Tour. I think you'll agree that they still have got it, and I think a full reunion is in order.

Apart form this work with Deitiphobia and other bands, Nash is also married to Leigh Bingham Nash, (Leigh Nash) of Sixpence None The Richer, which will be covered in another post.

That concludes the first installment of The Real Alternative on Flashback Friday. Next Friday we return to the Commonwealth of CCM when our subject is Delirious? Until next we meet, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Night Beat Rewind: August 2012

Getting back to a somewhat normal schedule after an unexpected Music Video Monday Marathon, thanks to our friends at Satellites and Sirens. If you missed these posts you can catch Part One, Part Two and Part Three by clicking on the appropriate links.

Now it is time to get to the latest edition of Night Beat Rewind, our quick hits column for the previous months releases. August had a lot of releases and a lot made the cut, but a lot didn't. Also, surprising for late in the eligibility, we had one perfect album. One more caveat. A few releases this month were unavailable for preview and so I have not included them. So for right now the verdict on Heath McNease: The Weight of Glory; Derek Minor: PSA Vol 3: Who is Derek Minor?; Phil King (Self Titled); and Showbread: Cancer, are incomplete. Once I can get some samples to here I will check them out, and if they pass muster they will be grafted in.

As always, we begin with those releases which

Missed The Mark

• Jason Castro - Starting Line EP 3.75 Emeralds
• The Chariot - One Wing 3.75 Emeralds
• City of Peace Media - i Stand With Israel 3.75 Emeralds
• Covenant Worship - Standing 3.75 Emeralds
• Eleventyseven - Attack of the Mountain Medley 3.75 Emeralds
• Brian and Jenn Johnson - Undone 3.75 Emeralds
• Shelly Johnson - Power of the Cross 3.75 Emeralds
• Eddie Kirkland - Kings & Queens 3.75 Emeralds
• Letter to the Exiles - Make Amends 3.50 Emeralds
• Chris Lizotte - Power in Weakness 3.75 Emeralds
• Stan Whitmire - Seasons of Life 3.75 Emeralds
• Karyn Williams - Only You 3.75 Emeralds

I always feel compelled to point out that these are all good albums. Even Stan Whitmire (nothing against the album, but it was entirely instrumental piano, and got kind of monotonous after a while). From the misses to the home run. There was one release that was

Pure Platinum

• Project 86 - Wait for the Siren 5 Emeralds 

Of course most albums are somewhat less than perfect, and that is the case this month as well. As is usually the case, the longest list is for something I call

Semi - Precious Metal

• Abandoned Pools - Sublime Currency 4.75 Emeralds
• An Epic No Less - Echo Of Love 4.75 Emeralds
• Chris August - The Upside Of Down  4.50 Emeralds
• Avalon - Number Ones 4.50 Emeralds
• The Classic Crime - Phoenix 4.75 Emeralds
• Jeff Deyo - Moving Mountains 4.75 Emeralds
• Benjamin Dunn & The Animal Orchestra - Fable 4.75 Emeralds
• Israel & New Breed - Jesus at the Center 4.50 Emeralds
• Jordan Lara - City of Hope 4.50 Emeralds
• Luminate - Welcome to Daylight 4.50 Emeralds
• Toby Mac - Eye On It 4.25 Emeralds
• Mandisa - Get Movin 4.50 Emeralds
• Tamela Mann - Best Days 4.25 Emeralds
• VaShawn Mitchell - Created 4 This 4.75 Emeralds
• The Museum - My Only Rescue 4.50 Emeralds
• Owl City - The Midsummer Station 4.50 Emeralds
• Andrew Peterson - Light for the Lost Boy 4.50 Emeralds
• Mac Powell - Mac Powell 4.50 Emeralds
• Satellites and Sirens - The Covers 4.75 Emeralds
• Sixpence None The Richer - Lost in Transition 4.75 Emeralds
• Tenth Avenue North - The Struggle 4.50 Emeralds
• Tourniquet - Antiseptic Bloodbath 4.75 Emeralds
• The Wrecking - So Much For Love 4.50 Emeralds

No real surprises here. Except for Mac Powell. It was billed as a country album and I was very apprehensive considering I hate country. However, do not be disheartened Third Day Fans. He has not strayed far from Third Day.

You may notice the number of links increasing as time goes on. Due to the amount of eligible releases this month I am going to keep adding the Amazon links as the time goes on. I want to get this one out today. So, until tomorrow, when I start an entirely rebooted Flashback Friday, I am Awaiting Your Reply.



Flashback Friday: Everybody Must Get Cloned

No I didn't spell the title wrong, the word is cloned. No, this isn't a Bob Dylan Post. Don't worry, things will become clearer soon. I could have used Send in The Clones or A Clone Again (Naturally).

Earlier in our Flashback Friday journey we met Randy Stonehill, someone whom, while a great musician, also had a fairly warped sense of humor, and has been the counterbalance to the often over serious CCM Universe. While Uncle Randy may have been Christian Music's Clown Prince, our latest subject excelled not in humor but in biting satire.

Roland Steven Taylor was born December 9, 1957 in Southern California, the son of a Pastor. The family soon up an moved to Denver Colorado. Maybe it was a mis-wiring of the brain, maybe it was the lack of oxygen in Denver. Whatever the reason, it is quite obvious that Steve (aren't you glad he didn't go by Roland) Taylor doesn't think like the typical Christian, and while the Industry may have rued the day he was born, Christian College Students and DJ's loved him.

One of the few Academic Elites of Christian Music (alright, alright, he was a Music Major). He started his adult career as a Youth Minister and Janitor at his father's Church. Musically he says The Clash, specifically London Calling "saved his life". While at Colorado University he recorded a few demo songs, and he went to Southern California after graduation to try to get signed by a mainstream label. He was unsuccessful, but one man, Jim Chaffee, was impressed and got him a job as assistant director of The Continentals.


Anyone who knows of Taylor's music knows he wasn't anything like the continentals. Chaffee got him another job, this time with Chuck Bolte's Jeremiah People, a Musical Comedy Troupe with heavy doses of satire. I remember them back in the 80's. They were great. Of course for pure comedy value Isaac Air Freight was superior.

Chaffee's Cheer leading finally paid off when he convinced Tayor's first boss, Cam Floria, founder of The Continentals, to give Taylor a two song slot at his Christian Artists Conference in Estes Park, Colorado. Maybe it was the home crowd, but the Crowd Acclaim convinced Billy Ray Hearn, President of Sparrow Records, to sigh Taylor as he came off the stage.

Clone Wars 

I Want To Be A Clone (1983) was a hit. The Six Song EP sold 85,000 copies, and in an industry dominated at the time by The Imperials, that was quite a showing. Christian Kids everywhere were introduced to attitude. Taylor launched his sarcastic wit directly on the Church, as Clone focused on the Christian Churches penchant for turning out cookie cutter Christians. Churchianity as it is called. Let Taylor tell you in his own way.

 Taylor's Meltdown

Meltdown (1984) was Taylor's full length debut, and anyone worried that he couldn't find enough targets to fill an album needn't have worried. The title cut focused on our celebrity obsession, and was sparked by a trip to Madame Tussuad's Wax Museum. He saw the statues and wondered "What would happen if someone turned up the heat". Kids, remember, he only THOUGHT it. Due to clone's success he decided to form a permanent touring band. He raided the studio musicians from clone to do it, and lest we forget who was the real star, he named them Some Band, as in Steve Taylor and Some Band. Meltdown was Taylor's first Music Video, and it also "starred" Lisa Welchel (The Facts of Life) in a supporting role as a TV Reporter.

Two memorable songs came out of Meltdown. While the title cut focused on our obsession with celebrity, the other song targeted bigotry in the Church, and apartheid as well. This is We Don't Need No Color Code Taylor was on a roll, and he kept up a pace of an album a year. Taylor's fertile mind, 80's Pop Culture, and the budding Televangelism Scandals, provided plenty of material for Taylor's Wit to focus on. For On The Fritz (1985) Taylor, in a most memorable "Fashion" turned his satire on the Public School system and the practice of teaching "Values Clarification". to the young skulls full of mush. For the song "Lifeboat" and its accompanying Music Video, Taylor enlisted the support of Mrs. Aryan "the world's ugliest woman". See if you agree. Even though I went to Public School, I seem to have missed out on the Lifeboat game. That's not saying I had to fight liberal indoctrination. Even though I wasn't tasked with deciding who lives and who dies, I did hear about "situational ethics". You know the drill "In certain situations Lying, Stealing, Cheating, etc is the best thing to do. People's feelings will be hurt or worse if you told them the truth. For the poster boy of the teaching, look no further than our 42nd President, William Jefferson Clinton.

1986 brought Limelight, a filler EP recorded in London during the 1985 Greenbelt Festival. 1987 Gave us "I Predict, 1990, an album which was more controversial than successful. It was attacked for its cover by some who thought that there were images of Tarot Cards on it (there weren't). Jimmy Swaggart included an entire chapter of his book Religious Rock and Roll, A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing on Taylor, and even the NOW gang was outraged when they protested against the song I Blew Up The Clinic Real Good. Considering that Taylor's forte was Satire, that meant that the NOW gang actually was protesting for bombing, since Taylor was saying it was wrong. Tayor Retired soon after I Predict, 1990, but soon resurfaced as frontman of the MCA band Chagall Guevara (don't be ashamed if you can't pronounce it). This is Violent Blue Taylor returned for one more album, Squint in 1993. This is Cash Cow.


Taylor has had a very busy retirement. He has produced 5 Newsboys albums, as well as Guardians Buzz and Bottle Rocket, among others, and his Label Squint Entertainment brought both Sixpence None The Richer and Chevelle to the limelight. That's a nice ending Cash Cow-Hat's off to the bull.

Recently Taylor has turned to the Movies. He is the Director of Blue Like Jazz, which came out this year. Of course his fans wish, even now, that he would make another album. We need his satire more today than ever. After all there is only one Steve Taylor. We can't clone him.

Deep Space Exploration

Eisley is back from The Valley and scaling the heights of the alternative scene. Not content to stay here on Terra Firma, they have taken their act to Deep Space. That's the name of their latest release folks. Don't worry though, they still exclusively touring here on planet earth.

The EP begins quite abruptly with "Away With Me, Away With You" the opening call of Lights out. Actually the jarring opening is my only gripe with the EP. I guess I like some sort of intro. It just seemed strange.

Deep space is more alternative than The Valley, which seemed to skew more pop, though Laugh it off is a fun pop song. Lead Singer Stacy DuPree comes off sounding a lot like Leigh Nash (Sixpence None The Richer) on this EP, especially on songs like 192 Days. I don't know if it was intentional, but it works.

Not surprisingly, the orchestration of the album gives an atmospheric "Spacey" feel to it, which to me harks back to Miss Angie's space-pop. It also harks back to the true meaning of Alternative music, meaning a break from the usual. My favorite song has to be the last song, simply entitled "One Last Song". The Instrumentation at the end is awesome.

At only nineteen minutes long, it leaves you wanting more, but it is a great follow up to The Valley. By the way, in the interest of full disclosure, I wish to tell you that The Valley is up for multiple Platinum Vinyl Awards, though that in no way affects the rating for this album. As evidence I give you the Newsboys. While Born Again made the First Platinum Vinyl Awards and Born Again Miracles Edition made them Double Dip this year, God's Not Dead will not come in for a Trifecta. It failed to impress during the first quarter judging. As they always say, Past Results are no guarantee of future success.

My final rating for Deep Space is very stratospheric. A near perfect 4.75 Emeralds. Considering that the Valley got only 4.5, then I guess shorter is better.

It's time to come back to earth for the time being. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.