Songs From A Room - EP

In 2007 I saw Songs From A Room three times from August to December. The fact that I had only planned on seeing them one of those times is a testament to what a hard working band they are, as well as the caliber of bands that they have had the privilege of sharing the stage with. Their first EP was a throat shredding, mind numbing display of post punk with a leaning towards the hardcore. Yesterday, the band released their latest EP for digital download on iTunes and Dine Alone Records and, although I quite enjoyed the first one, they have taken a remarkable step up on this semi-sophomore release. Although some would view an homage to more of a 70's classic rock territory to be a digression of sorts, I feel that the instrumentation is significantly tighter, and the vocals sound much more controlled and uncompromising.

The EP opens with Revival, an intense rocker that harks back to the pre-Diane Warren penned Aerosmith, back when they could rock as hard as any of the more reputable punk bands of the time. The heavy pulsated drum sound coupled with the immediate shouting vocal work prevents the sound from ever getting too cheesy. Aches Maybe Angst dips into slightly bluesier jam band territory, where again the percussion and the riff heavy guitar work make this song impossible to ignore. The Black That We Clad relies a bit more on melody than in your face rock, but still manages to meld the two worlds together successfully. However, it's back to being all "in your face" with We Are The Ones, which encourages fist pumping rather effectively. High Road is probably my least favourite song on the album, not because it's particularly bad or anything, but more because it lacks the immediacy of some of the other songs, almost borrowing from early 90's Brit pop, but doing so a tad unconvincingly. The EP then closes with To My Surprise, which travels along the same road as the previous song, but fares a little bit better as it segues into some subtle psychedelia.

The new EP showcases a band that is just starting to get comfortable with what they're doing; discovering their sound and settling nicely into it. As they perform more and more shows, it'll be interesting to watch them get even more secure in their musical niche, and there's no doubt that the songs will continue to grow ever more riveting.

Songs From A Room are playing Dave Bookman's Nu Music Nite at The Horseshoe on December 16th with Arkells, We Are The Take and Young Rival. Should be a great show and it's Free!

Photo by Dan Novisedlak

Myspace: Songs From A Room

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