Customer Reviews

The Make Yourself At Home EP

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Today, saying you like emo is almost as embarrassing as saying you like pop-punk which is almost as embarrassing as saying you like pop. Although, The Starting Line's Make Yourself At Home [EP] is truly something special. If you have never heard of The Starting Line you may want to know what other bands they sound like. Well, I could list a few bands, but that wouldn't do them justice because I think they sound more mature and write better lyrics than most of the bands they are categorized with. The EP starts off with the title track Make Yourself At Home 7.5/10. It is a good song and encompasses so much emotion that is unifying of all TSL (The Starting Line) songs. Selective 8.0/10 is a bit more fun-loving with a slightly faster tempo, a nice change from a opening song that isn't much better than par. Playing Favorites 8.0/10. This was the first song I heard, before buying the album. It reminds any TSL fan of the album Say It Like You Mean It but with some hidden sense of growth. The Night Life 8.5/10 is one of the best songs on this EP, flows so nicely, any TSL fan won't be able to help but like this song! The Best of Me 9.5/10 you may recognize from the Say It Like You Mean It album, but the difference is this is acoustic (not truly acoustic, but more acoustic than the other version). What can I say? This song is extremely good in the way that there is so much urgency of hoping for good things in Ken Vasoli's voice, it's so strong you won't be able but to get sucked in and allow your past experiences to burst through and connect to the lyrics and harmonies of this song. Finally the EP ends with Lasting Impressions 9.5/10, now I admit I wouldn't normally rate this song as high as 9.5, but the song is brilliantly placed and has some mysterious way of encapsulating the whole EP, it makes you want to say, "No! Don't leave me, I'm not done with you TSL" and by the end of the song the urge to press "play" again is strong!

If you like this EP don't forget to check out Say It Like You Mean It.

I worship this cd. I love the whole sadness in the EP. My favorite song has to be Make Yourself at Home... TSL is an amazing band and this cd only drives the message home. TSL is a band that will always be remembered.

After purchasing TSL's first CD, Say It Like You Mean It, and after reviewing facts about the band, I realized this band is still very young. Singer, Kenny Vasoli, is only 19 and has come a long way for being as young as he is. This new EP is only evidence of which has shown how strong this band is able to grow and is still growing. I have purchased many acoustic CD's over the years and this one is by far my favorite one. The lyrics are nothing but relative to the CD's title, and the tunes are nothing but inonvative and inspiring.

To be honest after hearing their debut album I wasn't expecting this band to go anywhere. I mean sure I bought the album, it did have consistently solid songwriting, but they seemed a bit too one dimensional to hold my attention for multiple albums. Well I was wrong. This ep really demonstrates that they have range beyond being just a pop-punk band. It's not just a collection of generic acoustic ballads, they actually seem to be more comfortable and creative playing acoustically. These songs are full of great chords and unpredictably catchy hooks. The production is really excellent. The guitar has such a crisp lush sound that sounds strikingly similar to Jen Wood's work. If you like this ep I strongly recommend checking out Jen Wood's ep This Uncontainable Light. This is like the boy version of that ep. These two eps should get married and have lovely little baby acoustic eps.

its very hard to come across a CD these days that you like EVERY song on the CD, well...this is one of those little gems

1. Make Yourself At Home 5/5: Opens beautifuly and the lyrics and vocals and guitar and music just blow me away! one of my favorite songs of ALL time!

2. Selective 4.5/5: The lyrics are great! the guitar is amazing and the message that gets across with this is just incredible! "sharpen your over acting skills/to cut thru the tension/mark our words with confidence/selective attention"

3. Playing Favorites 5/5: i ADORE this song! i cannot get the chorus out of my head! "im sure u always feel my eyes on u/but i hope that u will never feel unwanted/wait for me to move out west/its ok if u dont/i hope u know ur my favorite thing/about the west coast" LOVE IT! the guitar and vocals are gorgeous!

4. The Nightlife 4/5: Good song, I like the lyrics a lot and the guitar is very nice

5. The Best Of Me 5/5: The lyrics are astonishing! the flow and rythme are amazing and the guitar is beautiful! "here we lay again/on 2 serarate beds/riding phone lines/to meet familiar voices/or pictures drawn from memories/we refelct on miscommunications/and missunderstandings and missing eachother/too much to have had let go"

6. Lasting Impressions 6/5: Pretty much the reason i bought this CD. The lyrics are AMAZING and i have such a history with this song and what was going on in my life at the time when i 1st heard it, so that could be why im so in love it, but its a favorite! "lets show em what we're made of/we'll show up in our outfits we planned ahead/to meet the qualifications for a special occassion/today is our day" and "youve made a lasting impression/and if it doesnt feel right/then i just cant go wrong/ive been sleeping with the lights on/so if i wake in the night/ur picture is clearly in sight" beautiful!

this CD, altho short, is undeiably gorgeous! in every aspect from the lyrics to the vocals to the guitar to the other music! everything out this CD and band is just mind blowing! one of the best CDs i own!

This is a really sweet cd, and i would really encourage you to buy it. It features the all popular "Best of Me", along with 5 other never before released songs all of which are aucoustic. They are absolutly amazing songs, especially "Night Life" and "Lasting impressions". I have listened to this cd more times than I can count, and i still love it. It also comes with 2 videos of previously unreleased songs. If you like this band I would suggest that you also check out Oasis, another very good band.

wow...i just got this cd and i really love it....the title track...make yourself is really great as well as the acoustic remake of best of me...it feels as if you were there when kenny first wrote the song

The Starting Line's new CD is a wonderfully crafted acoustic album. On this record, Kenny Wasoli truly opens up and shows himself as a maturing artist, being backed by the awesome electric-less strumming of Matt Watts and Mike Golla. The album is packed full of catchy hooks, distinct chops, and even some digital percussion, adding to the creativity of TSL. I highly recommend this album for those of you out there who appreciate acoustic music without the whining, nasally wailing of a certain other musician...lets call him C. Carrabba...no that's too obvious, how about...Chris C. Anways, purchase this record and you will not be disappointed.

This c.d. is amazing. 5 stars well earned. It always is exciting to listen to music that you can never stop listening to. Just like this c.d. I first encountered The Starting Line's infectious melodies and heartfelt, truthful lyrics when buying 'Say It Like You Mean It.' If you're a true fan of music in general, I recommend this album. There are 5 new acoustic songs, and an acoustic version of their first hit 'Best of Me.' Overall, to say the least, this album was beautifully made, and if you're in a depressive mood, it's good to listen to, if you're in a good mood, it's good to listen to, if you just want an album full of great songs individually, this c.d. does the trick. Buy it!

What can I say? I'm a sucker for anything acoustic. I'm also a sucker for good pop punk. Since the Starting Line are one of the few pop punk bands I can stand, and actually like, I was excited to get this acoustic ep.

There's nothing special about these songs, each one is a standard run of the mill acoustic song done by a pop punk band. Although it must be said that these songs do show a more mature side to the band, and prove that they just might be more talented than what they get credit for. The linear notes say that this was recorded in various rooms and basements, and while it doesn't sound like it, that fact adds a certain element that most music today lacks. There isn't a sense of over production and fancy studio trickery. The songs ring true in every way possible.

Acoustic records by "non-acoustic" bands can really show a different and often surprising side to a band. While this album is not a huge departure from the bands sound, the songs are still unmistakably Starting Line songs just not pluged in, they are enjoyable. I can't say that I'm a big fan of the band, but I am a big fan of this record. Every fan out there will enjoy this, and even some non fans might. It's a very well done acoustic album.