Customer Reviews

In Motion

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I don't typically go for the indie/emo rock thing but wow, this is an impressive album. The songwriting is far superior to that of your typical indie release and while "In Motion" has a few moments that feel particularLY overly-sappy, if you will, I still enjoy this album thoroughly.

I think part of the problem with a lot of this style of music is the the tendency to sound so whiny. Copeland pretty much dispels all that. They sound mature and fully confident in their songwriting (both musically and lyrically) abilities. So much so in fact that they would fit just as well next to a band like the UK's Keane (who has a much more contemporary piano-driven sound) as they would to say, Death Cab For Cutie. The songs themselves have a ton of variance in them from the more guitar driven tracks like "No One Really Wins This Time," and "Love Is A Fast Song," to the more more piano and acoustic driven tracks like "Kite" and "Hold Nothing Back." The strength of the album, of course sits on the fact that every song is a little bit different yet as an album they cohesively work so well. Aaron Marsh has an unbelievable voice, just listen to the high notes in chorus of "Love Is A Fast Song" to the lower notes on a track like "Kite." Then you have songs like "Pin Your Wings," "Don't Slow Down," and "You Have My Attention" which seem to meet in the middle of all. The pacing of the album is balanced very well.

If you want something thats driven on melody and is steps beyond your average indie outfit, this is the album for you. One of the better releases in 05.

copeland has left their dashboard confessional behind. "Beneath Medicine Tree" was a good record, but it was safe. If you like safe music that doesn't take a lot of thought to enjoy, stick with that.

If you want something challenging and deep, make room in your player for "In Motion".

You can tell these guys have studied the art of melody since their last release. The melodies are well thought out. The lyrics are far more adult, than the lovelorn, heartbroken ramblings on BMT.

"Kite" reminds me of the beatles
"You love to sing" reminds me of keane
"Choose the one who loves you more" is beautiful and perfect
"No one really wins" would save modern radio if given the chance

In Motion has it all. Great lyrics, brilliant melodies, awe-inspiring vocal performances, fresh grooves, great arrangements, huge guitars, dance beats, slow jams, spirituality, heart, soul, passion. This is a fantastic album. I can't wait to see what Copeland does next.

2005 is shaping up to be a year for some great new albums, what with new offerings from Coldplay, Ben Folds, Sigur Ros, Brand New and the like. However, this release from a little known band will most likely end up being my favorite.

Featuring lush production and instrumentation, perfectly toned guitars and pitch perfect harmonies, Copeland is pop rock with out the mass produced, quick buck gimmicks of so many others in the genre. In Motion never tries to be something its not, and it never reaches beyond its grasp. With a variety of sounds, from the edgy rock of the opening track, "No One Really Wins" to the simple piano and accordion of kite; from a Jimmy Eat World style riff in "Pin Your Wings" to the rich orchestration in "Choose The One Who Loves You More", Copeland constantly finds itself in sonically varied territory.

Lyrically, Aeron Marsh examines the theme of love with more maturity than punk rockers and more depth than emo rockers. His view of love as something sacred that has been cheapened by today's society is both refreshing and moving.

I cannot recommend this album enough. This is what emo wishes it could be and what mainstream corporate rock can never be- honest, fresh, moving. Check it out.

So maybe this album does deserve 5 stars. But I'm stingy with my 5 star reviews...they are reserved for albums such as Lovedrug's "Pretend You're Alive" and the like. I'll do like Star Search and give it 4 and 3/4 stars.

Anywho, "Kite" is a rather odd little ditty. But the great vocal control and accordion are pretty interesting and worth lending an open ear. I almost cried first time I heard "Don't Slow Down" when the chorus says "You can take everything I have/Just don't leave my side." I thought that would be my favorite song, but the more I listen to "Love is a Fast Song" the more I decide that it's my favorite. The lyrics are pretty hard-hitting "You cannot be angry if all she wants is your money/You cannot be angry cause all you want is her body." So maybe that's my fave. Excellent album. Buy it or I'll hate you forever.
jk.

Copeland's second release is quite an accomplishment, very mature, yet not missing an element of rawness that all good indie music possesses. The keys on this release are well put, the atmosphere superb. There's also a lot of "after-you-think-it's-over" music as well (Sleep, Love is a Fast Song, Sleep, Choose the one Who loves you more, You have my Attention, You Love to Sing), you can really tell Copeland really feels what they do.

1. No one Really Wins this Time--overall 10/10-the guitars hit harder on this song than most of their former works (which may come as a surprise to fans of the last album; which I've listened to a little). The lyrics "in this fight of grace and pride, I don't wanna win this time" are just so awesome. Aaron's one of the best lyricists in the industry, period. Would make an awesome single.

2. Choose the One Who Loves You More 10/10-another superb track, the keys more influential, and is more melody-sensitive. As always, Aaron's lyrics and vocals are great. I love what they do with the drums on this song, it keeps the song moving; there is also a guest singer (which was a shock the first time I heard him, as he has a much deeper voice than Aaron, and I didn't realize it wasn't Aaron, lol). For some reason it just reminds me of drinking coffee while it's raining just outside the shop.

3. Pin Your Wings 10/10-didn't like this one at first, but it grew on me, and is such a fun, light-hearted song! Anybody know who Amanda is?

4. Sleep 10/10-this song is so great. The piano is great. The vocals are great. It's just awesome. It's just one of those love songs that just have the best atmosphere.

5. Kite 9/10-It's odd to hear an accordion, but this song is clearly supposed to have a lot of atmosphere to it-the old movie reel clicking in the background is really cool. Sounds a bit like something out of the sixties. It's all accordion and piano.

6. Don't Slow Down 8/10-I love the lyrics on this song, and definitely the piano. "You can take everything I have, just don't leave my side!"

7. Love is a Fast Song 10/10-this song just plain rocks. The guitars are heavier than anything they've ever done before; as always Aaron shines. The lead guitar work is great.

8. You Have My Attention 10/10-this is one of my favorites, the lyrics are very personal, "I'll sing along, the whole day through." It nearly makes me cry. It's beautiful, the melodies just soar, especially when Aaron really let's go at the end. It's so powerful!

9. You Love to Sing 10/10-possibly my favorite song on the album... "Sing with your head up; with your eyes wide, not because you love the song, but because you love to sing, you love to sing..." is so meaningful to me. I think it's kind of a metaphor of life-live with your head up, with your eyes wide, not because you love the life, but because you love to *live*.

10. Hold Nothing Back 10/10-the shortest track; very peaceful acoustic guitars with the electric backing it up. Aaron is such the romantic; I love it, I love it. :-)

So, Copeland rocks, and makes some great emo-no-screamo, to the benefit of all who are privileged enough to experience this CD. All 41 minutes and 28 seconds are great. And they get 97 out of 100. It's hard to beat that, mates.

To begin, I tend not to listen to much indie/rock style music. The softest I usually go when it comes to music is Mae; I am more for heavy, yet melodic music. This CD, though, took me by surprise. I had many friends who are into this band, so I decided to stop listening to Bullet for My Valentine and pop this in. I must say, this is a very good album. If you don't have "Love is a fast song" or "No one really wins" in your head, then I would be very surprised. The melodies are catchy, the music well done, and the lyrics are much less corny than the genre is known for.

I would recommend this to anyone who wants a mellower-style indie/rock album.

For everyone who was anticipating Beneath Medicine Tree part 2, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. That doesn't mean, however, that this album is bad, or even worse. It's just different. You kinda have to regard it as a completely seperate work, rather than comparing them. This album is much more enjoyable that way. I'll admit I wasn't sold at first, but give it a few times to grow on you. If you give this record a fair shot, I'm pretty sure you won't be disappointed.

Eclectic-selecting what seems best of various styles or ideas. This describes "In Motion" 110% This album has the most variety types in any album I've heard in a long time. There are not 2 songs on this album that sound alike. I was expecting another version of Beneath Medicine Tree...anxious to hear a new song reminiscent of When Paula Sparks. I am glad I couldn't find one. Copeland have completely reinvented themselves for this incredible sophomore album.
The album starts off with No One Really Wins. This song is a great way to start the album and grasps your attention for the rest of this album. The next song Choose the One who Loves You More is a great ballad that picks up during the song. The guest vocals are phenominal and remind me a little bit of the Cure's lead singer Robert Smith. After this is what I think will be Copeland's first single off of the album, Pin Your Wings. This is a great rock song and is one of the standout songs on the album. Lead singer Aaron Marsh has amazing control of his voice throughout the entire album. His falsetto screams of perfection. After this song, the ballad Sleep comes on. This song is a great song to fall asleep to. That's not a bad thing, it is just so amazingly peaceful. The next song is perhaps the most unique song I have ever heard. Copeland's "Kite" is amazing and strange at the same time. I would have never expected an accordion in a copeland song, well there it is. I love this song! The sixth song on the album is Don't slow down. This song is again incredible. Amazing lyrics cover this entire album. The next song and my favorite is Love is A Fast Song. This song's chorus is soooo catchy, its impossible not to love it. The eighth song on the album is my favorite ballad on the album which is You have my attention... and Aaron Marsh and Copeland have my attention on this song. Enough said. This is the most mature album that has been put out this year so far in my opinion....well at least until the new mae album comes out next week :) Songs number nine on this album is called You Love to Sing, and its obvious the lead singer of copeland loves to do just that. The Final song which is a great way to end a mind blowing record is Hold Nothing Back. The album's lyrics grip you from the beginning. This is an amazing "ROCK" album from Copeland. THe only downside to the album is...It has 10 amazing tracks!!! I want more!!!

When I first heard Copeland's "Beneath Medicine Tree" some two years ago, I wasn't sure how much I liked the band. That CD was mostly a low-key mix of acoustic emo and Gin Blossoms-style pop-rock. However-as is the case with most people, I'm sure-I grew to love singer Aaron Marsh's crooning and the band's two-guitar textures and song structures.

This CD seems like a natural progression for the band. The hard songs are harder and the soft songs are more contemplative. From a production standpoint, the overall sound quality on "In Motion" is leaps and bounds ahead of "Medicine Tree." The vocals are cleaner, the guitars are more punchy, the bass really growls (when called for) and the drums are very tight and sound incredible.

As far as songs go, there are a few absolute gems here. What surprises me about other people's reviews is that not many are singling out "Love is a Fast Song." The song is easily the best on the album, easily the best of Copeland's career thus far, and-truly-the best emo song I have ever heard. It is perfect in every way-lyrically, musically and technically. The opening guitar riff is heavy, sludgy and would have made Quicksand jealous. That one riff is like nothing Copeland has done before-it's a shame there weren't more like it on the album (but I'll get to that in a bit). The bass and drums during the verses are marvelously tight and drive the heart-wrenching vocals home more perfectly than any rock song I've heard. And I cannot stay still or silent when the song explodes into its power chord-laden chorus. This song alone is worth purchasing the album.

The next best song would easily be "Don't Slow Down." The song doesn't rock like "Fast Song," but it will move you like no other. This song really shows what magic singer Aaron Marsh can work with his voice and his lyrics ("You can take everything I have/Just don't leave my side now-don't leave my side") and what the band can do with their music. The chords in this song are not complex (a plus if you want to play it on guitar), but the music is smattered with shimmering, ethereal layers that complement each other perfectly. Aaron easily has the best voice in the indie rock/emo game and his tonal range and gorgeous delivery are showcased here.

Other highlights include "No One Really Wins," a very punchy and energetic opener for the album that includes some great distorted bass and mean guitar riffs. Also, "Pin Your Wings" is a great upbeat rock song.

Unfortunately, the album is not without flaws. The band did itself and us as listeners a great disservice by including too many down-tempo ballads on the album. While "You Have My Attention" works well, others like "You Love to Sing" and "Hold Nothing Back" are (gasp!) boring. Some would argue that these songs just show Copeland's softer side, but they just pale badly in comparison to the other great songs on this album. And "Kite," which invokes what sounds like an Italian love song one would hear on the canals of Venice (complete with accordian and scratchy film reel background noise), simply doesn't work.

While songs like "Fast Song" and "Don't Slow Down" deserve six stars, I won't give the album five stars based on the strength of those songs. It may deserve that, but the tracks are just too inconsistent for me to give this CD a perfect score. Copeland would do well to realize that their guitars sound best with the distortion turned up. Also, as beautiful as Aaron's voice is, it doesn't seem to do him justice to have only acoustic guitars backing him up on most of the ballads. He truly shines with the whole band pounding away behind him. With any luck, the next album will give us more pure musical brilliance in the vein of "Fast Song" and "Don't Slow Down." Until then, however, you simply must own this CD.

P.S. As a side note, I'm a graphic designer (as is Copeland's bassist), so I love the classy, understated look of the album art and typography. It just goes to show the multifaceted (not just musical) talents of this wonderful band.

i been waiting for copeland to put another album out since i bought beneath the medicine tree three years ago. hands down my favorite band right now. lead singer arron marsh's voice is easy on the hears. great live band also. already seen them four times, going for a fifth this weekend.