Prior Engagements

So in case you missed the memo, my awesome girlfriend Morgan and I got engaged a couple weeks ago.  Needless to say, I couldn't be more excited - anything to that effect I could ever say here would be a massive understatement.  But what does this mean for the future of Relative Pitch?  Well, let me just say that realizing you're getting married in less than a year has a funny way of reshuffling your priorities.  However, I'll still be making an effort to check in whenever I get a chance, I assure you.  Just don't expect reviews or musings with any degree of regularity.


Oh yeah, and I'm starting grad school this week.  That won't exactly help in keeping a blogging schedule either.  So savor this one, because it might have to last you a while.


Oceansize - Self Preserved While The Bodies Float Up (September 14, 2010)


I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this album before I added it to the collection (having only heard a few samples online and read some favorable reviews), but it turned out to be a gamble that paid off.  Oceansize was quite an under-appreciated group, and they have made some top-notch music.  (Note the past-tense "was:" sadly, they disbanded early in 2011 to pursue other musical projects.  I can't help but feel like my discovery of the band had something to do with it.)  Self Preserved is a diverse and complex album with a wide array of musical textures, from sludgy, dirge-like hard rock to lush orchestration and intricate prog.  Check it out if Karnivool or Porcupine Tree are to your liking; their back catalog has some excellent musical moments, as well, including the albums Frames and Everyone Into Position.  It's just a shame we won't be seeing any new material from this very talented group of musicians.


Rating: 4/5


Standout Tracks: "SuperImposer," "Silent/Transparent," "Pine," "Oscar Acceptance Speech"


Jimmy Eat World - Invented (September 28, 2010)


Jimmy Eat World have had a tendency to flip-flop between shiny, accessible pop-rock albums and slightly grittier, more muscular affairs over the course of their career, and they do both remarkably well.  Invented sees the pendulum swinging back towards the low-fi, heart-on-sleeve style of their early works, while still preserving their pop sensibilities, and the balance is just about perfect - this is definitely one of their best albums.  Slow-building songs like the title track and "Mixtape" hearken back to the Clarity days, while more immediate tracks like "Evidence," "Coffee And Cigarettes," and the acoustic-driven album opener "Heart Is Hard To Find" help build momentum and reinforce the band's songwriting skill.  JEW at their best can infuse you with a sense of nostalgia like few other bands can (see also The Gaslight Anthem), and this is a great example of their skill.


Rating: 3.5/5


Standout Tracks: "Mixtape," "Heart Is Hard To Find," "Coffe And Cigarettes," "Invented"


James LaBrie - Static Impulse (September 28, 2010)


One would expect a solo album from the lead singer of Dream Theater to be a lush, indulgent affair, but Static Impulse is a pleasant departure from that expectation.  LaBrie, with songwriting partner Matt Guillory, instead delivers a solid melodic metal album with some extremely enjoyable instrumental playing - every musician on the disc delivers tight, virtuosic performances that impress more and more with every listen.  LaBrie doesn't hog the spotlight nearly as much as you might expect - the sound is of a solid, cohesive band writing and performing some great heavy tunes.  The lyrical content can be a bit of an Achilles' Heel, however, with some cringe-inducing turns of phrase here and there, but if you can get through that, you're in for a treat.


Rating: 3.5/5


Standout Tracks: "One More Time," "This Is War," "Euphoric," "Jekyll Or Hyde"


Finger Eleven - Life Turns Electric (October 5, 2010)


Life Turns Electric is an unfortunate example of a band going in the exact opposite musical direction that they should.  Finger Eleven have created some high-quality, more-complex-than-average modern rock in their time, but by all appearances, the Top-40 success of "Paralyzer" put an end to those days, because this release is a pretty transparent effort to capitalize on that change of style.  The band tries time and again to create a viable repeat of the success of their dance-rock departure, and fails miserably - what's left is a remarkably bland disc of easily forgettable songs.  A little bit of heart does manage to show through on the album's more somber numbers, plus a song or two that somehow transcend the rest of the album's tastelessness and become something almost reminiscent of old-school '90s alt-rock, but for the most part, this is a failed experiment, and should probably be avoided unless you need to put on something you can just ignore - you won't be missing much.  (Bonus points for catching the High Fidelity reference, by the way.)


Rating: 1/5


Standout Tracks: "Ordinary Life," "Love's What You Left Me With," "Stone Soul"