Customer Reviews

Fire Kite EP

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4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've been following Eisley since they were playing small venues and selling self-burned CDs and self-made buttons.
It has been a joy listening to their sound evolve and to see them grow as musicians.

Fire Kite's two beta tracks ('Ambulance' and 'The Valley') are arguably their most polished and complex songs to date. While the overall sound is very unique, you can hear the influence of bands like Franz Ferdinand, Modest Mouse, The Killers, and The Shins. It's only been a couple days but I've been listening to these over and over like it's been in playlist for years.

If these two songs are indicative of the 2010 LP then their Junior Album is going to be the best yet.

The downside to Fire Kite are the two garage band demo songs.
'192 Days' takes you back to 1920s and 1930s radio fare. It's beautiful and has lots of potential, to be sure, but I feel like I'm listening to one of those old burned CD of a band playing into a PC mic.

'Away We Go' seems like a dud to me. Very slow and plodding. Not particularly interesting.

It's difficult to remain objective about a band, when you've found so much pleasure in everything they've done; from the early "Brewtones" days of Moss Eisley, through the Polished (and Beautiful) Combinations Album ... I've loved everything they've done, every step of the way.

That said, the new EP is as good or better than anything yet. I've been listening to these songs over and over again, and have realized they are better than anything on the radio (by any band). Succinctly, this is beautiful music, crafted by dear, beautiful people.

The inclusion of early versions of two songs is a huge bonus, it gives us insight into the band itself, and the creative process that spawned the songs therein. Leave it to Eisley to include Garage Band Demos for public consumption, it is so thoughtful, so honest and SO "Eisley"! Rather like having band-approved, legal "Bootlegs" for purchase.

Having long ago decided that "Room Noises" was one of the most enjoyable albums I'd ever heard, I was a little nervous about pulling the plastic off of the "Combinations" disc and inserting it for the first time. What a relief, it was even better! I had no such reservations when downloading this EP the tracks have reinforced my confidence. I can't wait for the album proper to be released, I'll be first in line to grab a few.

Eisley will be performing these tracks here in my town on Saturday. This will be my fifth Eisley concert and I'll be first in line to grab a few of the (physical) EP Discs when they show up at the Merch table.

Very enjoyable EP. Love The Valley and Ambulance and the garage band tracks are nice. More of a fan of Away We Go which is very reminiscent of past Eisley releases. Hope to hear a studio version of that soon. Ambulance and The Valley are also on the full length The Valley CD which was released on 3/1/11

Eisley used to be one of my favorite bands, back in the 2003-2005 era. It was my daughter actually who found out about them and made me aware of them. The 2003 "Laughing City" and "Marvelous Things" EPs remain their strongest output today for my liking. After creating a huge buzz with these EPs, the band signed a major record label and it took forever for their debut album "Room Noises" to finally get released in early 2005 (containing a good chunk of the EP songs, albeit re-recorded or remixed). The second album "Combinations" arrived in mid-2007, and since then, pretty much nothing, until now.

"Fire Kite EP" (4 tracks; 14 min.) is available in 2 versions: the MP3 download available here on Amazon, and the physical EP available at Eisley's shows (where I got it). "The Valley" is a great upbeat track, and a welcome return after what seems like a too-long absence. "Ambulance" is a nice pensive ballad. "192 Days (Garage Demo") is true to the garage demo nomer: low-fi, and intruiging for what it could become, fully fleshed-out. The physical EP concludes with a nice acoustic cover of "Telescope Eyes" by Max Bemis, lead-singer of Say Anything (and recently married to one of the Eisley girls). In all, a nice return from Eisley, and I can't wait for the new album in early 2010.

I just saw Eisley in concert on their current tour (co-headlining with Say Anything). They put on a great set, playing a mix of old and new songs (including "The Valley" from this EP). That said, it was clear that the crowd was there to see Say Anything, and the buzz about Eisley that was there some 4-5 years ago seems to have abated, if not gone away altogehter. Let's see if the band can find its mojo again with the new album. This EP is a promising indication.