Customer Reviews

These Four Walls

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is, without a doubt, the BEST new band and album that I have stumbled across in a loooooooong time!

As a guy in my mid-30's (wife, kids, & job have taken over my life)... it's very frustrating trying to find "new" music that is compelling, original, and meaningful. Equally hard to find an entire album that can be enjoyed from start to finish. These guys have managed to accomplish ALL of these things!

I won't try to overly categorize this band. Suffice it to say that they clearly manage to express some punk-rock influences without "being" overtly punk-rock. The prevailing style of the album revolves around driving anthems that crescendo into beautiful climaxes. They don't seem interested in being or sounding like anyone else in particular. The energy that these guys generate is infectious. And the vocals just seem so sincere that, despite the obvious and unapologetic Scottish accent, it becomes intriguing and makes you WANT to listen more closely.

2 listens and it was over, for me. I was HOOKED! This is the type of band that you can't help wanting to share with others... primarily b/c you just know that your friends will ultimately thank you for it.

Buy 2 copies of this album!!!...(so you'll have an extra copy to give to that person you know, who always finds the best new bands first, but has not heard of these guys, yet!)

I stumbled across "We Were Promised Jetpacks" by chance, at my local library. I was intrigued by their name, and glad I was compelled to pick up their album, "These Four Walls." It is so original and fresh. It is rock, but with new vibes, and subtle scottish accents.

"We Were Promised Jetpacks," hails from Glasglow, Scotland, the capital of indie music, and free spirits. Thier lyrics, even the music itself, stripped of words, shows an expert level of care and devotion. "We Were Promised Jetpacks," truly loves music, and one can hear it through their work.

As for "These Four Walls", my personal favorite is "Quiet Little Voices."
All the other songs are phenomenal. The top songs are

Quiet Little Voices
Conductor
Roll Up Your Sleeves

If you love indie rock, and are looking for relief from the Miley Cyrus mania, or just need your faith in the music industry to be restored, click the big yellow button and buy "These Four Walls", before the mainstream worms its way into your mind.

Well, it made ME younger anyway, by about 25 years. Driving beats, minor chords, dark sentiments, intense dynamics, sincere vocals, variety of tones within songs, precise and tight breaks... I am very pleased. If the samples here aren't long enough for you to judge, go to that popular Internet video site and look for "Quiet Little Voices."

These guys are the real thing: I heard them the other night in Brooklyn, and they have such energy and intensity... The drummer uses his floor tom-tom a lot to get a booming sound, the bass player has intricate lines, the singer has to step away from the mike as he sings so as not to overpower the sound system, and the lead guitarist adds interesting colors through not only his guitar but also a small xylophone.

I can't wait for their next one.

I'm trying really hard to think of a better, more consistent album released this year and I just can't. There's been a lot of great records this year, but none that I return to as much as 'These Four Walls' and definitely none that I can listen to the whole way through and love every minute of it. No filler songs. That's a rare thing these days.

like i said before. if its got more than 4 good songs its worth it

This is a great album. I can't stop listening to it, over and over. Favorite song: It's Thunder And It's Lightning. But, I don't think there's one song on this album I don't like.

I wholeheartedly agree with everything said to date about this CD. Fantastic album and it's still growing on me.

We Were Promised Jetpacks- These Four Walls
1. It's Thunder and It's Lightening- 9/10
2. Ships with Holes will Sink- 8/10
3. Roll up Your Sleeves- 7.5/10
4. Conductor- 7/10
5. A Half Built House- (5/10...not a real song)
6. This is My House, This is My Home- 8/10
7. Quiet Little Voices- 8/10
8. Moving Clocks Run Slow- 7/10
9. Short Bursts- 7/10
10. Keeping Warm- 8/10
11. An Almighty Thud- 9/10


We Were Promised Jetpacks are a band from Edinburgh, Scotland. When I hear that a band is from the UK I think of two things: Post-Punk and Post Rock. I think it's obvious why...that's where those genres are done best. WWPJ have a sound that is very similar to a lot of the bands that come from their homeland: Post-Punk/Post Rock with Spacey indie rock and Shoegaze leanings. One aspect of UK bands that sets WWPJ away from their fellow UK bands is that their vocals sound very Scottish. The Vocalist does not try to hide his accent. There are a lot soft loud dynamics, Post-punk bass lines and beats, and lots of guitar effects at work on These Four Walls.

Track one, It's Thunder and It's Lightening, Follows the dynamics of most of the current post-rock bands. It builds up and explodes into a wall of guitar effects. It reminds me of a mix of Mogwai and U2. The distorted bass really helps the song, and the Soaring chorus compliments the verses quite nicely. Track two, Ships with Holes will Sink, has a jangley sound very reminiscent of U2. It has more of a post-punk sound to it. You can hear it in the drums. Track three, Roll up Your Sleeves, has a very post punk beginning, but not as blatantly as The Futureheads first album. Track four, Conductor, has more of a post-rock feel, with a heavy Mogwai influence to it. Track five, A Half Built House, is Radioheadesque in concept but in no other fashion. It's not a song, just some music with spoken word in the background. It seems pointless to me. Track six, This is My House, This is My Home, is very Post-Rock with a touch of Post-Punk for good measure. Track seven, Quiet Little Voices, shows some pop elements that could have made this song a single off the album. I like how it mixes post-rock, post-punk, and pop together so seamlessly. Track eight, Moving Clocks Run Slow, starts of with a great little riff that is complemented with the lead and a slight change. However the chorus takes some of the luster out of the song. It almost sounds silly. Track nine, Short Bursts, is built around several bursts of guitar effects that are a wall of sound. The song works, but could have been better if more time was spent developing the rest of the song. Track ten, Keeping Warm (which is over 8 minutes long) starts out with about 4 minutes and 20 seconds of instrumental post-rock before getting to the meat of the song. Don't get me wrong the instrumental work sounds good, but it could easily be cut in half. Lucky for the band the last 3 minutes plus of the song makes up for it. Track eleven, An Almighty Thud, is the token acoustic track, and of course it's the last song. But there is some sort of appeal to it that makes it fit in with the rest of the album which is far from stripped down. Maybe it's the contrast of this song compared to the rest of the CD, or maybe it's just at great song. It's the best way that These Four Walls could have ended.

Overall These Four Walls gets a 76% as an album. The song by song review of it gets a 79 %. I would recommend this album to fans of the Post-Rock/Post-Punk sound of the UK. If you are looking to start your journey into Post-Punk and Post Rock pick up the latest Mogwai album and Entertainment by Gang of Four.

Similar artists/influences: U2, Bloc Party, Twilight Sad, Glasvegas, Mogwai, The Futureheads, Radiohead, Radio Four, 65daysofstatic, God is an Astronaut

From beginning to end, this album was well written and well organized creating a mood that jumps from the exciting and epic to a very mellow and relaxing, maybe even inspirational, until your left wanting more. The album starts with Its Thunder And Lightning giving you an idea on what your about to hear for the next 80 minutes. From Adams incredible vocals, to the two guitars playing great together to create their own little symphony, Its Thunder And Lightning is sure to become a favorite and definitive song when it comes to We Were Promised Jetpacks. The Album slows and mellows by the time it gets to Conductor and begins the build up again by the time it reaches This Is My House, This Is My Home, and begins anew with the incredible song and single Quiet Little Voices. By the time you get to Keeping Warm, the final great build up lasting around 8 minutes alone, you have a great idea of what We Were Promised Jetpacks is all about leaving you hungry for more.

This maybe a premature review, but I if this band continues from where they started they will be one of the best bands of the 2000s. Every song is well done musically and lyrically. I can put this cd on and leave it on, never having to skip any songs because it is that great.
Love the singers accent and everything about this album. But it if you love great music.