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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Relentlessly Pleasing Sophomore Effort., August 14, 2007
The first time I heard of Eisley was at least four or five years ago. I remember watching MTV and seeing them featured on "You Hear It First." At that time, this underdog band from Texas had little to show for their efforts except for an EP and a tour with Coldplay. Still, the band aroused my interest, and I kept them on my radar. It wasn't until I saw them live in January of 2005 that I finally fell in love with them. Their debut full-length album was released just a few weeks later, and I can remember rushing into my local store minutes after they opened so that I could get a copy. "Room Noises" was a marvelous and wonderful album. It is one of the few albums that you can listen and just drift off to. The DuPree sisters were able to craft stories and imagery that was simply beyond their years, and the music they created was absolutely dreamy. It's been about 2 1/2 years since then and my hopes have been high for another brilliant album for some time. The question is, "Does 'Combinations' live up to it's predecessor?"
When you hit "Play" on your CD player, it's immediately clear that what you are about to hear will sound very little like "Room Noises." The lead-off track, "Many Funerals" is a very straight-forward rock track, completely unlike anything we've heard from the band before. In the chorus, the sisters sing "Break, break down!" over an aggressive guitar and bass. Is this really Eisley? Indeed, it is. While the song isn't bad by any means, it can definitely catch you off guard if you're not anticipating it.
Get used to it though. Eisley takes a much more traditional approach to making music this time around. Their lyrics are much more straightforward now, often singing about things that are relatable rather than fairies and forests. At the same time though, their sound is more polished and they sound more cohesive as a band than they ever have before. Their hooks are stronger, and they play their instruments with confidence. It's a trade off, because even though they sound much more talented on "Combinations," they don't sound as dreamy and innocent as they once did.
The first single, "Invasion," is really the closest that the DuPrees come to capturing the wanderlust of "Room Noises." Here, the sisters sing "Ooh, something's not right" in a wavy vocal style that sounds very familiar, very comforting. The next song, "Taking Control" is my personal favorite on the album. It sounds like nothing that they've done before, but the chorus is unbelievably infectious. The pianos, guitars, drums, and vocals blend perfectly to form a truly memorable pop rock song.
The band slows down a bit on "Go Away," the album's first real ballad, and a showcase for the group's unparalleled ability to harmonize with one another. When they sing "Go away, go away and leave me on my own" it moved me in a way that few songs have been able to this year, and as such, it stands out on the album. "Come Clean" is another ballad, but this time the vocals are not as much of a group effort. At the same time, however, the band shows off their talent on their respective instruments. Gentle guitar plucks and the frantic strums of a mandolin form the backdrop for this very soothing song. The song ends with the band singing "Come clean all around me" together before fading into the sounds of children playing. Beautiful.
"Ten Cent Blues" takes a very real look at relationships and the feeling of not being able to compete with someone to whom you feel you are physically inferior to. She sings about how the other girl is cheesy, and has no wit before conceding "I'm sorry I don't have her face, and I'm probably gonna lose this race." It's a far cry from Eisley of old, but it's nice to hear the earnest words of an artist every now and then rather than just fictional tales. "Combinations" wraps up with the bizarre, yet impressive "A Sight To Behold," the cutesy, yet dull title track, and the undeniably gorgeous and lullabye-like "If You're Wondering." It's a brief, but welcomed trip back to the fantasy world of earlier Eisley albums.
When it's all said and done, I can't help but have mixed feelings about "Combinations." It's obvious to me that the DuPrees have grown substantially as musicians since I first saw them play live several years ago, and their music has become more solid because of it. However, I miss the fantasy and wanderlust of "Room Noises" and their earlier EPs very much. I suppose it's just something I'll have to get over, because at it's core "Combinations" is a very impressive album. It's a work that can stand on it's own, apart from their past recordings. It may not be as immediately endearing, but Eisley has not let us down.
Recommended for fans of Eisley, Sixpence None the Richer, and anyone who wants to hear the best Tyler, Texas has to offer.
Key Tracks:
1. "Many Funerals"
2. "Taking Control"
3. "Go Away"
4. "Come Clean"
5. "If You're Wondering"
7 out of 10 Stars
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
You will take the breath from my throat, August 13, 2007
Eisley is all grown up. Once they sang all about trolley woods, sea kings and "telescope eyes."
But in their second full-length album "Combinations," the Texan pop family sounds somewhat different. Their pretty pop and girlish vocals have stayed the same, but their music has darkened and matured all around -- the instrumentation more textured and rich, and the tone more wistful.
"Bring along your tricks and trade/we will lie here/here we lay/and though this ship is out to sea/I'm content to lie peacefully," Stacy and Sherri Dupree sing over a gentle nautical acoustic melody.
But it doesn't stay so mellow-sounding -- the song blossoms into a hard-edged pop tune, with moments of epic fuzzy guitar or shimmering piano-rock. And the song gets darker too: "And now we have no chances/We fill the empty caskets/and leave you with your tears... We all will take more chances/Before our lives end too..."
Things don't get much lighter in the sprightly "Invasion" tune ("You will be one of us painless, us blameless/go to sleep, this won't hurt a bit/shifting your shape to our shells"). They stick mostly to the upbeat sound, which is more lush and full-bodied than ever before -- catchy country-pop, swirling little rockers, ethereal ballads, gentle acoustic songs, and finally the haunting, music-box ballad "If You're Wondering."
For the record, Eisley's music hasn't changed THAT much -- they still have pretty, shimmering pop and deceptively simple lyrics. But the lyrics have more of an emphasis on love and tragic occurrances (like alien invasion, suicide and plagues), as if the band has grown up from children to young adults. As they have.
In essentials, the music hasn't changed much at all -- lots of swirling intertwined guitars, underlying basslines, gentle piano melodies, solid drums, and loops of spooky synth. And they weave in some xylophone, tambourine and what sounds like a balaika. But over time, their playing has grown more self-assured, and the melodies have become intricate, lush and textured.
And simply put, Stacy and Sherri Dupree have lovely vocals. Their girlish voices soar through the pop songs, sometimes solo and sometimes in harmony. And they sing songs about oppressive monarchs, alien invasions, and tangled loves ("You'll never contemplate that I am near/And help goes unseen/You're a cave, admitting who you choose/And I could be there for you").
Eisley's "Combinations" sees the wunderkind band growing and expanding, turning out a string of pretty, wistful pop gems. Definitely a great listen.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Listen to Me, You Pull Me Apart, August 18, 2007
When reviewing the full length debut Room Noises from the family band, four siblings and one neighbor on bass, Eisley, I closed out my review, "I expect big things from Eisley in the future." The album then went on to land at number four of the Best Albums of 2005. Since the release of the album, the band has been touring, getting married and completed the DuPree only lineup by replacing the neighbor with a cousin to play bass.
But those expectations of big this is what makes the follow up, Combinations a let down. Where Room Noises was a breath a fresh air with melodic songs as a backdrop of plush melodies of the two lead singers, Combinations is just a rehash of the first album with songs only as good as the middle of the road ones on the debut. Not one song here comes close to the emotional punch of Marvelous Things or Telescope Eyes. Not to mention it is hard to ask put down over ten dollars for an album that barely breaks the half an hour mark.
With that said, Combinations isn't a bad album. It starts off with Many Funerals, a driving song where the all dudes rhythm section on drums and bass add to the darker theme that the band didn't explore on previous albums. Taking Control is a bouncing ditty which could be an instant sing-a-long at concerts. While Come Clean concludes with a family chorus.
The group did look like they took a different approach to writing this time around. Where the first album was littered with mythical themes about Sea Kings and bats with butterfly wings, it looks like all the marriages and engagements in the band has taken them in a more personal subject matter this time around touching on death (More Funerals) and a lot about love (I Could Be There for You, the title track). For those that prefer the more out there lyrics, there is Invasion that has a very celestial feel to it.
Even though the band didn't seem to live up to the potential of the first album, hopefully Combinations is just your patented sophomore slum and the big break out album will be coming shortly.
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