Customer Reviews

All This Time (Dig)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Just got this album yesterday... I have to tell you it took me three listens to really understand why I liked it. On first listen, I thought it was a good album, but not anything spectacular. I listened a few more times, caught some of the subtle nuances, and man this is a killer album. It's not as straight-forward gut busting rock as the first album, but it is a far more cohesive album than Stairs and Elevators. "Dragonfly", "Finding Solutions", and "Blue Day" are standout tracks. Especially listen carefully to the lyrics on "Into the Open" as they reference several later songs on the album, adding a neat little twist.

So I accidently picked this album up off emusic, and I am really glad I did. This is the first I have heard this band and it is easy to see they have more than your average formulaic garage band. Looking up some info on the album I found that it has been the result of long road test. This is no surprise because it seems that there are the best pieces of differnt styles in this music.

It starts off with a power chord guitar blasting off and you think okay so its got some meat to it. But the guitar will transition into punk, and blues before the end of the album showing the growth of the bands sound and style. "Out of the Blue" features a spacey piano in the style of Coldplay but it seems to work very well. I'm not a person that listens to drums very much but the band incorporates them into the beat really well to keep the songs up to pace, which could probably be best described as not too slow.

The real killer of the album is the vocals and the lyrics. Erika's voice is probably the best female rock voice I have heard since Pat Benatar or Blondie. The album seems to have a searching and finding theme to it, from "Into the Open" where the herion find "silence to loud" and "Searching for a Ghost" where she finds what she was searching for behind the door. And "Dragonfly" where she swallows a dragonfly to see if it helps her fly. Definitely keeping that good indie tradition of making an album instead of a couple of good songs to sell.

Erika Wennerstrom belongs firmly in the Tough and Sexy Pantheon of Female Vocalists - goddesses like Grace Slick, Chrissy Hinde and Liz Phair. Dust of that high-school bong, chill a couple of beers and enjoy the hell out this album (as well as their first album, Stairs and Elevators). If you're a someone who prefers male singers and dislikes whiney voices like I do, I think you'll discover a part of your music craving that's long been unsatisfied.

The tempos on All This Time are a little slower and more hypnotic than Stairs and Elevators i.e. don't expect any Communication Breakdown type drivers that wanna make you snap your pimply neck, but these tunes will build up in your gut make you proud to be a rock patriot.

I was honestly a bit put off by the cover art -- I imagined something like the Indigo Girls. In fact, this is bottom-heavy old-school rock and roll, with a slight country/blues twist, great powerhouse female lead vocals, great songwriting, great performances. It sounds really comfortable and familiar, but at the same time it's hard to think of an exact parallel -- if Lucinda Williams recorded a rock record, it might sound like this. Altogether a really captivating and satisfying rock album. This would have been a monstrous FM radio album back in the day. Into the Open, Brazen, Blue Day, and Valley of Debris are all awesome songs. Buy it.

One of the most ecxiting new bands to come out of Cincinnati in recent years is the Heartless [...] (urrgh, what a TERRIBLE band name), a power trio led by singer-songwriter-guitarist Erila Wennerstrom. 18 months after the release of their very promising debut album "Stairs and Elevators" now comes the second album.

"ALl This Time" (10 tracks, 40 min.) finds a more polished, but still very hard rocking, sound. The album's first track "Into the Open" starts off with a piano even. Wennerstrom continues to provide layers of guitar riffs, and the rest of the band contributes to the "wall of sound". Guitar solos are far and few between (only on the title track and on the closer "Comes a Long Way"). The album really takes flight on the second half, with highlight after highlight: "Blue Day" and "No Pointing Arrows" are the proof that this band has "it". In all, a very satisfying album that zooms by in no time, and you'll want to play it again.

I've seen the band live a couple of times in the last 10 days, giving shows around town in preparation for a long nation-wide tour to support "All This Time". Frankly, the band is even better live than in the studio, and they are not to be missed if you have chance to see them. Highly recommended!

I recently purchased this cd, and I love it. She has a great singing voice, and the music rocks! If you get the chance, go see them live. Simply amazing!

Recorded in Cincinnati!

Main brain Erika Wennerstrom performs open-heart surgery with a corroded six-string, blasting melodic knots of exuberance and experience. The low-fi grunge sound gets old after a while, though; how 'bout some separation between the instruments and, heavens, tweak the treble on the vocals? Choice cut: "All The Time" - Pretenders riff, Fiona Apple chords. Throughout the (short) set, Wennerstrom sings her guts out but never puts out, or grandstands. "Come A Long Way," the moody closer deserves a Cranberries'-sized budget.

Promising!

Now, try the next one in Cleveland!

While I'm sure there is a long and rich history which the Heartless [...] draw on and into which they fit - I know none of it. What I do know is that this album is truly amazing.

There is a necessary simplicity to a band's music when it only contains three members, but the Heartless [...] manage to be both energetic and sophisticated; there's definitely more going on than you'll find after just a casual listen.

With only 10 tracks, there isn't a single bit of filler. Wennerstrom's vocals are really amazing too. I highly recommend giving these guys a listen.

I've listened to All This Time at least once a week since its release. Unlike other albums I played heavily initially, this one continues to connect. Erika Wennerstrom writes strong songs sung with a powerful, honest and haunting voice; on All This time her growth is obvious. I recommend this highly, as I do seeing them live.

After I heard the NPR story on the Heartless [..], I ran out to get their new CD. Erika Wennerstrom has an incredible voice and a knack for writing songs that stick in your head. Listen to "Came a Long Way" and "All This Time" for a good taste of what they do. My only complaint is the recording quality - it almost sounds like it was recorded in a barrel. The bass guitar is too heavy, and the bass is boomy.