SO when I listened to this song I was drawn into an infectious depression that lasted an entire evening. Abbie Huxley is able to touch the soul in his songs and sometimes it's painful. So why can't I stop listening?
To me, the song is powerful. Most people crave emotion of any kind. "If I can feel it bring it on." And Abbie is very good at arranging his music in a way that is extremely captivating. He plays everything on this track but the bass (which is played by Mark Beck.) So that's keyboard, piano, guitar (acoustic) and drums (though they sound somewhat like they where mixed on a machine because of there perfect exactness)... oh and let's not forget his haunting vocals. Abbie's voice is very influenced by the croonings of the late Jeff Buckley. His voice hits those high pitches (or at least shoots for them) and he has that same yearning, tortured soul thing going on. When asked why he creates music of this nature Abbie replied, "I was just trying to make music for myself to escape to."
The song starts off with a dreary sounding keyboard, picks up with a very light set of drums (or drum machine) and then brings on the first lyrics which state right off the bat, "I don't believe in me. Neither should you." The verses have a cyclic way of going; starting slow and building up a bit with harder guitar and rougher vocals and then calming down. They do this about twice before the major climaxes of the piece; the choruses, which in and of themselves have many changes going on. Some of my favorite parts of the chorus are the female back up vocals.
The recording quality is a bit low-fi but very well recorded considering it was done on a Roland 8 track. IF your into good sounding, simplistically recorded stuff. This is a nice example of how to pull it off.
Humble pie is depressing, yes, but it's really much more than that. It's very human. You can listen to this song and others at Huxley's Garageband page where he has been listed in the top 10 in Alternative Pop for what seems like forever. Recommended for anyone whose pull toward music is immersed in emotion, Humble pie makes the grade. Signing off
The five-piece from Wilmington, Delaware has spent the past four years perfecting the vision of bandleader Kevin Sweeney. In the end, the music Kevin birthed and that they create together is a moody, dreamlike orchestral rock opera of layers and layers (and layers) of depth and sound. Still Nothing describes their sound as reminiscent of Layne Staley, with the layers of Queen, the charisma (and production approach of Pink Floyd) and the passion of Crowbar. I'm here to say, "I agree with whatever they just said".
The members of the band bring to the stage a unique sound and a strong vocalist. Kevin Sweeny, "the brains" behind the band, writes all the music and arranges everything from the music itself to the final product. Kevin shows his experience with his well developed lyrics, such as from their song "Moment", and a passionate sound that underlies everything they do. Drummer Matthew Tibbet, who has been working with Kevin for 12 years, compliments the wide, Floyd-esque sound of the five piece, as well as the hovering tonals of vocalist Sean Sweeney. Bass player Ben Forman also provides supporting vocals and undertones the rich sound with a dark ebb; coming from such bands as Inchmeal, Puddle, Sentury, Absolute and Malignance, Ben brings his 11 years of experience to the group in a very palpable way in songs such as "Moment". Guitarist Dave Fell also brings a perfect energy to this tune; with over 15 years of experience under his belt he definitely brings something to the table for all those "guitar snobs" out there.
The song opens with a wash of acoustic guitar and a lull of background sounds, bringing you into the oceanic mood of the entire piece. When the vocals actually step in, you realize you've been transported: a subtle mix of Floyd fusion and progressive rock elements, the song takes you through a series emotionally heavy and spacious verses with a simplistic rock-out chorus.
Like Floyd, anyone who has a good ear for the delicate musings and production arrangements of Roger Waters and David Gilmour will have a definite appreciation for this song. Nothing was placed by accident, and everything -- albeit a lot of things -- has its place. Everything from the well arranged chimes to a great overall mixdown during the chorus -- one that changes drastically, but doesn't leave you shaken -- indicates that quite a lot of thought and effort was placed into rounding out and polishing this song.
On the downside, I feel the song takes a bit too long to get started. Its like they left it out there naked all alone for a little too long before actually getting into it. In today's no-attention span generation (given, of course, that very few kids could really appreciate space prog rock fusion like this in the first place) it runs the risk of getting skipped along to the next track.
In all, I've got to take my hat off to the studio genius behind this track. This is, of course, not to leave out the wizardry of the performances themselves, of course. However whether this has more to do with our ritalin charged de-generation or not; this song might appeal to some but leaves more out.
Whenever you see a hardcore band led by a female vocalist you know you're in for something interesting. Especially in the metal genre, where girls tend to bring some freshness to the genre. In "Lost", All is Black uses this formula, as well as some slick guitar lines, to distinguish themselves and make a mark in the world of metal.
Houston Texas band All is Lost is a four piece metal outfit, fronted by vocalist Mindy Cook. We also have Lauro Gutierrez on guitar, Wade Hodges on the drums, and Justin Williams working the bass. The band's influences are fairly vast, as stated on their MySpace page - from Iron Maiden to pop punk and Gwen Stefani. This can definitely be felt through their music. All is Lost has a pretty booked live performances schedule for an independent band, playing nearly every week in the TX area.
"Lost" is a song that pretty much follows a 'straight line', all the way through. The line is lead by a distinctive guitar riff and Mindy's vocals, which is slightly reminiscent of a gothic sort of metal sound. She divides her vocals between a mellow growl to a deep vibrating singing tone -- which never quite reaches the typical screams for the genre -- but is still varied enough to keep you listening throughout the track; expertly going note to note, without loosing her grip. The song starts with Lauro's aforementioned guitar riff and keeps the hook playing throughout. Instrumentally, the song is mostly verses sprinkled with guitar solos. You could say that the singing parts are the verses and the choruses are the solos, or vice versa.
All is Lost is definitely very tight. The solos are not missing a key, the drums come in where needed, the bass is well placed, and the hold it all down.
The song is kind of repetitive. There isn't much happening in the music itself, in my opinion, and the band seems a little lost in their songwriting. Perhaps they need to push for ideas to get this piece a little more interesting for the listeners. The guitars and drums are almost identical throughout the whole song. The singing could use a little variation too, as - at times - Mindy's parts are almost identical. I do kind of miss a second guitar, especially when we speak of a metal band.
For lovers of metal, you'll have to give this track a try. All Is Lost is obviously serious about what they do and can do it well. Go see them live if you are living in Texas and they play your area or just visit: http://www.myspace.com/allisblack
