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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Speakeasy is no easy accomplishment, January 8, 2000
A third release by Stavesacre marks a fine return and a simultaneous evolution. I speak of evolution as going from an original set of hard tunes to a more varied album. Now, with speakeasy, stavesacre has added a little pop, a little punk, even more beauty, and a lot of maturity. If you are a hardcore stavesacre fan you might not like the first three songs at first, but relax, these are all part of a cycle. By the end of the album you will be wishing that you never thought the first few songs were lame. Don't let the first three songs fool you. This is still Stavesacre. As Minuteman and Sundown Motel spinned I felt a kind of creeping feeling of regret. What is this? Pop? Stavesacre, pop? No. The first few songs definitely have a feeling of pop. I didn't like this at first although I am fine with pop. My thoughts took the album to my own court where I judged and sentenced. However, there was a hope I had that the album would become darkly beautiful like previous Stavesacre albums. The hope was quickly rewarded as You know How it is surfaced. It was something different, punky, with yelling, and I liked it. From there it only got better as Stavesacre returned with a vengeance. Then, the dark yet beautiful music which I treasured from friction and absolutes came. More absolutes than friction but that didn't matter. Soon, the album had more than surpassed my expectations. Gold and Silver came on and I was one happy fan. This was sheer beauty and Solomon's voice had never sounded so good. Gold and silver is one of my standouts. It is mature, beautiful, and different. After a few more well-crafted songs, a cover of fascination street entered the spectrum. Here, Stavesacre took the cure's haunting song and gave it their trademark slow hardness. It is excellent. Hence, the maturity. Speakeasy quickly took its place among my ideal best albums of the year list. Stavesacre took a while to spring this sharp trap on us but I would wait for another few years for something this good. Also, if any Christian band could reach non believers in this day of hard music it would be Stavesacre. If you have purchased the album, enjoy. If not, there is n time like the present.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What a stellar album!, December 22, 2000
When I first heard Mark Salomon's vocals on their sophomore release, Absolutes, I was a little put off by the rather odd effect added to his voice, but it soon grew on me, and I really liked it. This CD wasn't like that at all; I loved it in the first listening. Not only has the production quality greatly improved, but all around the band has grown in every area, their song-writing, their riffs, their singing, everything. This is a get investment for those tired of the mainstream metal and rap-rock groups. Stavesacre truly takes you through a powerful journey of emotion with every listen. Some how, although you can sense the anger, pain, and depression in some of the songs, they have an overpowering beauty to them. Mark Salomon makes much better use of his very distinct, brooding voice in this album than the previous two. Rather than screaming through all of the songs, the emotion is so much more clear when he drops down to almost a whisper. But he still now how to crank it up, with his voice swelling to an amazingly beautiful cry. The instruments, too, have greatly improved. With the addition of another guitarist, they are allowed to have to lines going against each other with Mark's vocals on top. They certainly haven't gotten anymore "pop" like some feared, they still have the raw energy and emotion, but it is much more refined and defined as they create their own unique still of music. The CD opens with "Minuteman," a heavy but not over-the-top anthem that while it is not the best song on the CD, is a great example of their distinct style. "Sundown Motel" follows, and is one of my personal favorites on the album. It's just a great, fun song that's really not heavy, but just heavy enough. The best line in it is, "The sun is going down, I say we follow it out of town," and it makes you wanted to jump into your car and do just that. The next song, "Keep Waiting," was the first single from the CD and while it is not particularly my favorite, it is a good, solid song with good play between the two guitars in the intro. The following track, "You Know How It Is," is the heaviest and fastest of the whole CD, and really goes back to Mark's punk roots reminiscent of his punk side project Outer Circle, only better. The next track, "Rivers Underneath" immediately slows down the tempo without losing any emotion at all. It's a rather dark and mysterious song, but it still contains that haunting beauty that is Stavesacre. The following cut is another of my favorites. It starts much slower and quieter than any of the other songs, but by the middle it swells to an epic of a song again with that odd, haunting beauty found in Mark's voice and his lyrics. "Freefall (From Hand To Hand)" which follows is another very solid track that talks about being in a freefall and terrified, but the song itself has an oddly upbeat sound that produces an interesting effect. "St. Eriksplan" again provides a perfect example of their unique, beautiful sound. "Disquiet" is a great, heavy track for those worried about Stavesacre losing their edge, reminiscent of some of the cuts off of Absolutes. The next song, "Fascination Street," a cover of the old Cure song, is in my opinion own of the neatest songs on the CD, much better than the original version. While it is a rather simple song, the long intro with a really dissonant effect in the beginning, is really cool. The album concludes with an epic of a song called "This Love" (plus there's another really cool effect of the drums and guitar in the middle!) that slowly dies away in the end. Do yourself a favor and buy Speakeasy by Stavesacre. Every time that you'll pop this CD into the stereo, it'll take you on an epic ride of emotion with haunting vocals and powerful riffs leading the way.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Better than 95% of what's currently being played on rock radio, January 10, 2006
Those who are used to the hard-hitting, edgy, raw feel of Stavesacre's earlier albums, Friction and Absolutes are in for a bit of a surprise when they pop this one in the player. With Speakeasy, Stavesacre tones down much of their prior edginess in favor of a more radio-friendly feel. There are still some aggressive tracks on the album, including, "You Know How It Is" and "Disquiet," which will definitely appeal to those familiar with the older material. Similarly, Stavesacre's first album, Friction, had its share of ballads in "At the Moment," "Burning Clean," and "Stars and Clouds" so it's not like they've never played more subdued material before. Still, those who are familiar with the first two albums will definitely notice a new feel with Speakeasy.
As with Stavesacre's prior offerings, there isn't a bad song on the album, and many or most of these tracks fall into the "epic" category in my book. The production quality is excellent, and the songs really work well together, which is important in an album. So, while those expecting "Absolutes, Part II" will have some getting used to, both new and die-hard Stavesacre fans will have much to enjoy with Speakeasy.
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