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Life & Arts

Pop overflows in Eisley's 'Room'

Group's full-length album weak compared to past EPs, live shows

By Sarah Morgan
The Daily Cougar

There's nothing like the excitement of a new album from a band you've admired for a while. But such excitement can lead to high expectations and, ultimately, overwhelming disappointment.

Unfortunately, such is the case with Texas band Eisley's first full-length album, Room Noises.

Perhaps expectations were too high for a band that's already toured the world with made groups such as Coldplay and Snow Patrol. Maybe the pressure was too great for the musicians, most of which have yet to reach the legal drinking age. But Room Noises is just an ultra-produced, too-crisp copy of their two previously released EPs.

The angelic vocals of sisters Stacy and Sherri DuPree are as ethereal as ever, and the sugary melodies still prompt jubilant sing-alongs, but the pervasive sense of sameness dulls the originality the band once projected.

The band's once melancholy tunes have been injected with happy serum. The slow songs are faster and peppier, and the new songs are all smiles and light. Even the opening track, "Memories," about a woman whose husband has died, is a bit up-tempo and promises that "life is so beautiful."

The band's earlier work had the same sense of sweetness, but each song had cobwebbed corners suggesting an underlying darkness that gave the songs more depth. Production has swept those cobwebs away and doused the album in sunshine.

That said, it is still lovely and reminiscent of the Cranberries (coated in vanilla icing). The imagery in the lyrics is childlike and wondrous, and complimented by the soaring harmonies that grab your ear.

Perhaps the nicest addition is the simple "Just Like We Do," which stands out on the album as an acoustic ode to innocent love. Also, "Brightly Wound," a more typical sound for Eisley, does carry some of the original melodic interplay that Eisley projects on their EPs.

The CD is a poor imitation of their live shows, a testament to the band's musical ability, and an even poorer imitation of what they are capable of. But for long-time fans, it's a nice addition to the EPs and a hopeful promise of what's to come. We'll wait.

Eisley

Room Noises

Reprise Records

Verdict: listen to your dentist, use sugar sparingly.
 

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