The Urgency [Explicit Lyrics]

The Urgency | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 21, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics
• Label: Mercury
• ASIN: B001FBSMPI
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #244,749 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

With any new band, you can pretty much use their personal background as a guide to their sound. Knowing that the members grew up in, say, Vermont, or cut their musical teeth in Brooklyn, should clue in you on their musical path; if some of the group ended up studying music in college, that's another sonic clue. Hand-picked by a hot producer to be the next big thing? That offers up more than a few hints. The Urgency, thankfully, do not sound anything like anything their history would suggest. They are not a jam band or an indie-rock group. They are not part of some hot (and soon to be forgotten) music "scene." Their music, far from pretentious or willfully convoluted, takes a fair amount of its influence and energy from post-hardcore bands such as At the Drive-in and Glassjaw (with more affinity for melody), while working in a seductive pop groove. And sure, the vocals of onetime musical theater major Tyler Gurwicz can scale heights, but he keeps the showboating in check. His presence adds a pop strength to the group's ferocious, rhythmic attack. In Gurwicz's impressive pipes, the group found its focus and melodic center. "I've never tried to sound like anyone," the frontman admits, noting that his soaring vocals often get compared to everyone from Sting to Yes's Jon Anderson. "Actually, I've never really listened to a lot of the singers I'm compared to. I just kind of created my own thing." After hooking up with industry veterans Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken (SRP management, who discovered Rihanna), the band serendipitously met producer David Bendeth (Paramore, Breaking Benjamin, Bruce Hornsby). During the initial recordings, the group found themselves locked in what they called "Bendeth Boot Camp," an exacting process where the producer tore down the group musically. It worked. Though diverse, the songs on The Urgency's debut remain consistently powerful and intensely memorable. "Fingertips," the opener and band's first single, is a steamy, sexually charged rocker about seduction. Elsewhere, the group weaves in elements of punk ("Crimes," which starts soft and explodes into a speedy chorus), Police-style rock ("Stop"), contemplative pop ("Memories") and even ventures into the ethereal, as the dreamy, muffled "Lullaby" gently winds down the album. But even as the songs weave in and out, the "groove" that Bendeth and the group wanted is ever-present. After years of jamming around, the little group that started in Vermont has suddenly vaulted forward in the music world, and at a considerable rush. In a way, the band's name is now more apt than ever. "Our name, The Urgency, is really about the circumstances of me joining this family," says Gurwicz. "They had been searching for years for the right singer. Then we met, and it all just clicked into place at once. We just want to keep moving with that same urgent feel."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Debut, October 20, 2009

By 

N. Seemungal "KnightNy23" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Urgency (Audio CD)

A truly surprising sound. I heard Battlefields in a store somewhere and decided to check out the album based on that song, which is great btw, and I was blown away. Its only a matter of time until they hit it big. A rarity these days, this album is definitely worth your time and more importantly, your money.

4.0 out of 5 stars A solid debut album, July 31, 2009

By 

T. Monzures (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Urgency (Audio CD)

This album could best be described as vocal rock. The Urgency provide a mix of rock and vocals, similar to that of Rise Against. The vocals and guitar lines drive every song with primarily upbeat beats. After listening to the album a few times through, many of the songs sound similar (whether that is a good/bad thing I leave up to the listener). I find the songs very catchy and several songs were stuck in my head after I had listened to them. I would recommend this album to those who enjoy rock/alternative and strong vocals. The lead singer has a powerful voice and it complements the chords very well in many of the songs.

I give it 4 stars since it is quite good, especially for a new artist. Many of the songs on the album run together, with only a few standing out as truly great. Good first effort, hopefully there will be an even better follow up.