Customer Reviews

A Year to Demonstrate

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The Elanors are an idependent rock band currently home-based in Champaign, Illinois--what some might call the Midwest's Fertile Crescent of indie rock. Most people appreciate The Elanors for their elegance and balance: as is rarely the case for even more well-established bands, there's no trade-off between lyrical depth and musical ingenuity, approachable stylization and unique arrangements (e.g. the primary instruments featured are piano, drums, and baritone guitar while the chief percussive instrument on one of the songs is a typewriter).

Nevertheless, I liked this title best for its sense of intimacy. The chemistry between the members of the band (a husband, wife, and family-friend trio) draws you into the songs and imbues them with an immediacy and vitality rare to the often tired genre of rock'n'roll. Like an excellent film or a good book, you find yourself caring about the thing to which you've lent your attention rather than unreflectively consuming it; you go beyond a perusal of its material to an investigation of the hearts and minds of those who fashioned it.

Few albums can do this sort of thing because few bands have the necessary command over the basic elements of good music to approach a transcendental statement. Aside from all the other fine elements of A Year to Demonstrate, it's worth the listen for this reason alone.

The attributes that set this album apart are the innovative lyrics and smart musical nuances.