Tracklisting:
1. La Memoire Reincarnee
2. All The Best Dreams*
3. Pathetic Justice*
4. Nasty Little Revolution
5. Quail's Dream
6. Roped And Tied*
7. The Day That Doesn't End
8. Shalo
9. Alt. Wave
10. The Devil's Interval
11. Cherry Tree
12. Sunflower*
*Indicates Notable Tracks
I don't have ample time to write this review, so I'll probably keep this one pretty brief. This album was referred to me by Jason, of the Arkansas crew, as music "to go to sleep to." And while, I think maybe Jason and I disagree on sleep-worthy music, this disc was instantly a constant listen for me, and a record to be studied. Codeseven played in Lexington not too long ago, and, of course, I went to the show but didn't really pay attention to the bands. I remember during their set I was out in the lobby of the Beaumont YMCA, chatting it up with various "tardsticks" that I knew as legends of the scene, and I was basically just trying to look cool, instead of listening to a band, who I'm sure put on an amazing show.
Anyway, on to the disc. Phenomenal. Dancing Echoes is a very atmostpheric and dynamic rock record with a progressive tinge and ample feeling. The songs cover a wide range, from the semi-epic "Sunflower" to the almost dancy "Roped and Tied," instantly making it one of my favorites (my G-spot lies in bands that choose to do everything the love instead of making up their minds, especially when it's done well).
This album is for fans of music in general. If you're too caught up in trying to look cool and keep up with whatever the latest fad is, it'd be real easy for you to throw the words "gay" or "weak" at this record in your frantic, wide eyed attempt to impress whoever might be listening to you. But if you can generally appreciate something that is tasteful, artistic, and well-done, then this record will go down smooth.
The instrumentation, I feel, can be summed up in one word: "clever." Codeseven will seemingly go to any length to find the perfect sound for each part. Every segment of every song seems to have a different drum EQ and effects, different guitars (acoustic and electric), different guitar effects, different guitar EQ's and levels, overlaying keyboards or synths, and tons of atmostphere. Every musician is tasteful without being overly flashy.
Vocally, the album is just golden. The singer's voice is just gorgeous, and the melodies are so catchy that you'll find yourself humming a different chorus from the album for weeks. His range is all over the place as well, and he uses it (Singers tend to stick to one range: Even if they have an amazingly high range, they generally just sing within that. This singer uses any and all, based on the key of the music, and, I guess, just whatever works.) Lyrically, I find it charming as well... the album is very poppy and very catchy, full of wonderful hooks, and easy-to-remember lyrics, but it is all still very dark in content, which is a unique aspect that resonates with me for some reason. Ultimately though, the lyrical content is uplifting and benign, and the ultimate mood of the album is stoic but smiling.
Production wise, again, perfect. In fact, I think the production alone would make this album one of my favorites. The snare drum specifically sounds great (I notice weird things like that). Each part seems to have it's own specific guitar tone and drum sound, loaded with effects and EQ's, to provide a very specific mood. Occasionally, things can get a bit muddy, despite the excellent quality of the individual instruments (something I found similar to Miss Machine by TDEP). Go get the cd, there's nothing to really complain about, accept maybe that there aren't enough songs to love.
For Fans of: Dredg, Mutemath, U2, Further Seems Forever
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