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Four years since the under-radar release of
Closer, Better than Ezra has signed a deal with Artemis
Records for the release of their new album, Before the Robots.
Beginning with a kick is Burned which starts as a great song, but
has a slightly weak chorus which is too bad because the rest of the song
is perfect. Its just not a song that begs for you to sing along to.
Probably not the best opening song for this record.
Thankfully, Daylight follows and is
incredible. Daylight can be likened to Closer off the last
album. Its an emotionally powerful song, but also an incredible musical
feat. This song needs to be tied to a movie during a pivotal scene and
roll through the end credits. Its amazing and quite possibly could be the
band's best song. The label needs to get on the ball and market the crap
out of this song. Someone put this in a director's hands, please!
Daylight is, what I would call a musician's song where musicianship,
talent, and emotion have more power over how catchy the hook is.
A re-release off Closer, is
A Lifetime presented here re-recorded and sounding better than
before. My favorite instrumental piece of the song was always the clean
electric guitar in the background of the verse. In this version, the
guitar is given more a prominent place and distorted, adding quite a bit
to the song. The pick up at the end of the song, is more powerful, giving
A Lifetime a more full sound. The band apparently felt this song was never given a good
chance on the last record, especially since their label went under so
quickly. Hopefully, this should reach radio play as the lead single.
It will take some time to get used to what
comes after A Lifetime because I am used to the last record, but
It's Only Natural is a great song. Intriguingly chill, the almost
retro 1970's groove is a nice stretch for the band. Overcome is one
of this album's gems. It almost feels like the band has been influenced a
bit by the British invasion of Coldplay a bit. Overcome is
one of the most memorable tracks on the album.
The transition into Special is great,
keeping similar feel and texture until breaking into a more traditional
BTE chorus. A great sounding song. American Dream is a very
light and trendy hit I could see doing well on the radio. Its not an
obvious single, or even a hit...but I could reasonably see it being
popular with many people. The same goes for Our Last Night with the
swelling chorus "Angels fly, in the air tonight saying, 'Wasn't in just
like swimming out on the lake.' And stars collide, and the air is alive.
Was it just like those promises you made on our last night?" This song
should be a huge hit and gets my vote for second single off the record.
The foot-tapping A Southern Thang feels
a bit like the last album's Recognize. Followed by the unusual jam,
Juicy, featuring an entirely falsetto Kevin Griffin, this definitely
has a 70's feel to it, proving everything comes around if you give it
enough time. While this song may take you aback at first, give it a few
listens. Its an incredible groove. The fan favorite bootleg, Hollow, finally shows up on
an album next and is everything fans have come to expect from the band.
Our Finest Year begins as an acoustic
guitar song, reminding me of something John Hampson might have written for
Nine Days. A great pop rock song, the chorus will probably make it a favorite of many and is most welcome on this album.
Before the Robots
closes out with Breathless, another song created for the romantic heart
and hopefully the silver screen. It is nothing short of outstanding and the perfect
end for the record.
Before the Robots is an amazing
album. Whether I am in love with the first song or not this early in the
album's life should not keep me from awarding five stars to this record.
Better Than Ezra continues to produce some of the best music out
there, and while they have been just beneath the radar for most of their
life, hopefully this record will change that. This album has the most
potential singles on it representative of the band's style and talent than
any of their previous records.
Hopefully, Artemis records will be able to
promote Before the Robots to the extent it deserves. I
remain skeptical, as the music industry is currently known for only
pushing and promoting their mega stars death. Perhaps Better Than Ezra
and their incredible music can break through this time, although the album
has already been pushed back now seven weeks to May 31, 2005. So
far...things are not looking too good for this release.
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