Customer Reviews

In The Mean Time

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

 

 

I have been truly blown away by this band. I listen to a lot of underground music, but somehow this one managed to escape my notice until they happened to come do a concert at my college. I bought their CD and absolutely fell in love with it! I cannot believe the production quality on this album. And what makes it better is that, having seen them live, I know that they really DO sound that good!

The best musical-style comparison would be to a mixture of Benjamin Gate, Plumb, and Evanescence. However, Gretchen manages to have more variety to their music [imo] than most of the songs from any of those bands. There is more variety mixed into each song. Rather than settling for basic chord progressions, there are plenty of awesome riffs thrown into the mix. I also enjoy the fact that while Gretchen *definitely* knows how to rock hard, they manage to still work in catchy melodies. It's a combination that's difficult to achieve well without coming off as cheesy, and I have to give props to Gretchen for pulling it off so well.

My favorite songs on the album are "Fading", "In the Meantime", "Don't Wanna Be", & "Passion". The entire album flows nicely. There is an obvious variety of flow from song to song, yet it all is very cohesive and actually *feels* like an album, unlike so many CDs that feel like a disjointed conglomeration of songs.

Lyrically, the band manages to be artistic without going over the top with obscure poetic stylings that can mean anything to anybody. The lyrics are meaningful and thought-provoking. This is a Christian band, which means the lyrics are clean. At the same time, the lyrics are not preachy, never directly naming Jesus or God, which some could consider either a positive or a negative thing. Essentially, the lyrics address life experiences that are meaningful to the band, something I personally appreciate.

Honestly, I could very easily see Gretchen becoming the next big thing in music. Now that Evanescence has lost Ben Moody [the genius behind the band] and now that people realize that Amy sounds awesome in studio but not so hot live, the time is ripe for a similar band to one-up Evanescence. Gretchen IS that band.

Lastly, I just have to say that the band members are AWESOME people. I had the opportunity to hang out with them after the show b/c I sold merchandise for them, and they were a refreshing change from the typical conceited rock band. They know how to rock hard and put on a good show, yet at the end of the day they are very down to earth people. We need more of that in the world of rock music.

If you like the band Flyleaf then you will love this. They are similar but Gretchen is even better. Don't wait! This is good stuff!

This band rocks. If you like Pillar or Skillet this has a simular sound. Only difference is it has a female singer. This can also be compared to Benjamin Gate with more of an edge. Only 4 stars because only a few really rocky songs that I like. Gretchen has upside potential. Hopefully they continue releasing cds. If they keep being produced by Travis Wyrick they can't go wrong. All they need is to tour with a couple larger name bands to get their name out. I'd be about the only one at the show to see them.

Imagine Evanescence, but with more edge, more Rock, better Basslines and a girl that can acutally sing and you have Gretchen!!

That's right I said move over Evanescence. Gretchen is where it's at. This band has something special and is gonna take the world by storm. 'In The Mean Time' is an awesome rock album with something for every rock, alternative, goth, christian and metal fan. Songs that are stand outs are the tracks 'Fading', 'Daisy Chain', 'Zion', 'Don't Wanna Be', 'Breathe' and 'Passion'. This CD is worth every penny one will spend on it. So what you waiting for order 'In The Mean Time' by Gretchen and while your at it pick up their debut CD 'Mouth Full Of Nails'. For more info about the band and their music check out [...].

This Hard Rocked Edge Sound grab me right away. Great female vocals and awesome band behind it. Some music takes time to grow on me but this one pulled me into it at the very first listen. I am looking forward to their next endeavor.

I had hopes before listening to In the Mean Time, because I enjoy female-fronted gothy or hard rock. I grew up with Pat Benatar and Heart, and I fell in love with Evanescence even before they went superhot on the charts, and I have a lesser appreciation (but still enjoyment) of Lacuna Coil and Within Temptation.

In Gretchen's case, the group has passion and ability, but the music is predictable and there's nothing particular standout. They are an adequate band that offers some good listening for fans of moody rock with feminine presence. But I kept hoping for the musicians to do something that knocked my socks off or for the lead singer to really reach and soar. I didn't get there.

"Diamonds", especially, proves particularly unimpressive, downright boring, despite the lyrics sure to please Christians.

"Daisy Chain" opens up with some nice energy and a faster-pace, but then turns totally conventional and predictable. Still probably my favorite on the cd, just cause you got good vocals and fun energy. "I don't wanna be your daisy chain around your neck/ You loved me once, and then you forget." Ah, sorta forgettable lyrics here. But punchy and likable.

"Know You" seems to promise a darker turn, moody and the vocals a bit petulant at first, then strengthens up, but the musicians aren't up to the task (or ingenuity) of surrounding and lifting the vocals. They disappoint, even though the lead singer does a creditable job of expressing herself. The guitar work needs to meet the greater challenge of Mia's vocals.

"Breathe," pumps up the tempo, but at every point where you think--ah, here they'll take off--they don't. Youthful energy is there, passion is there in the vocalizing, and it's a song many will like, I'm sure, and one of the funner ones on the cd. I still kept wishing there was a really live and kicking guitar here to duel and ally with the vocals.

"Fading" starts out promising (and very Evanescence-ish), and one hopes for it to work out with verve, and some verve does come to the fore. The singer, Mia, stretches up with her voice and doesn't bobble in the pleading chorus. Nice. It's an enjoyable song, but a total copycat, and at no time does it break out and give itself its own, unique sound. It's still a respectable performance. "I"m fading inside, lately I cannot find myself."

And that last bit, "I cannot find myself" is a problem I see for Gretchen's debut.

I'll keep my eye (ear?) on this group. GRETCHEN may simply need time to mature into their own unique sound and to experiment with fresher, more complex interplays of instruments. I have hopes, because I see the potential there.

I would disagree with the comparisons with The Benjamin Gate--a band that had some truly outstanding songs that caught your attention and hung on and vocalizations that felt fresh on several tunes. (Although in the more reaching, higher levels of her voice, yes, Mia reminds me of BG's gal singer.) I do see faded echoes of Evanescence, but without the soaring power of Evanescence (particularly on that outstanding debut record of theirs).

For now, GRETCHEN impresses me with its basic foundation and potential: They're promising but need to go to the next levels beyond the semi-copycat sound that hasn't found its true, deep, surprising footing. Yet. And I do think the singer is very good. I enjoy her voice and she outshines the songs and the other musicians.

I'll keep watching and listerning for their breakthrough, which I truly hope comes...and comes soon. This gal hasn't met her needs or quota of gal-goth-rock.

I have to say I do like most of the songs on this album...at least all are tolerable to me (whereas with some albums, you might love one song and detest the rest)...but that's probably because they all sound quite similar. At least it's a sound I like. There are a few that have a little different parts in them, but on the whole, they sound pretty similar.

The lead (female) has a good voice...I'm not normally a fan of female vocalists, but it's clear and not overly breathy.

Not sure what else to say...but it's one of my favorite CD's!

The way i discovered this band was when they added me on myspace as a friend. I checked out the music they had and I was impressed! Im a fan of bands like Evanescence and Flyleaf and now I can add this band to the list since Gretchen sounds similar to them.

Best songs on this album are "in the mean time"(my top fav), "breathe", and "Passion".

So if youre like me with the same taste in music then check Gretchen out! Its worth buying and addin to your music collection.

Gretchen's second full-length effort, In The Mean Time, is admittedly a lot better than their debut on a few fronts but they still stumble in a few of the same potholes as before. Mia does sound better this time around (better production probably has something to do with it) and the band feels a bit more fleshed out as well. However, it does sound like they really put a lot of effort into In The Mean Time and it shows throughout.

I really enjoy Mouth Full Of Nails, don't get me wrong. Some of Gretchen's best songs are found on that very CD, but if you're looking for consistency In The Mean Time is where it's at. Two songs into MFoN and you hit a speed bump. That doesn't happen on this CD, if anything there might be a song that isn't that amazing but has a part that you just fall in love with. This is a bit surprising actually, usually a band never tops their debut but Gretchen has...quite easily at that.

Gretchen put their best foot forward by opening with Fading, a powerful opener with a chorus that will be stuck with you for days. After that if you want hard rock, you got hard rock (Breathe, Zion, Don't Wanna Be, and Passion), if you want slower, more melodic, you got that as well (In The Mean Time, Let It Go, and Every Moment). Gretchen pull off the 'power ballad' really well as seen in Let It Go and Every Moment. The latter of the two goes down as one of the CDs best tracks as well.

My favorite songs are Fading, Breathe, In The Mean Time, Don't Wanna Be, and Every Moment. With this big of a leap in quality from one CD to the next I'm downright excited to see what they bring to the table with their next release. It's always nice to see a band that looks out for their fans so much and that's exactly what Gretchen does, so for that reason alone I look for them to succeed. If that makes no difference to anyone besides me though, the music speaks for itself.