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 Best Copeland album to date May 07, 2009
This is my fav Copeland album by far. The songs, vocals, recording quality.....everything. It's a good mix of piano based rock with the distorted guitars. "Choose the One Who Loves You More" is my fav song.
1 of 2 found the following review helpful:
More than what I had expected Dec 10, 2006
I love this CD. At first, one might slap the label of same old whiney band right? I did. I saw the video for pin your wings down and pretty much made that decision. I heard the album a few months later and let me tell you what I found. This guys voice is angelic. Very soothing. At times, I wonder if you could call this Jazz Rock. Very steady drive, but with all the accoutremont to make it a melodic masterpiece. Plenty of songs you could break up or make up to.
This record is just what you need.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 Again, a surprise Apr 07, 2006
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.
1 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Loved it... Feb 25, 2006
What can I say? Infectuous tunes, fabuluous lyrics, haunting vocals... one of the best albums I've bought in a long while!! "No One Really Wins This Time" and "Kite" are my favorite tracks.
8 of 11 found the following review helpful:
Perfection surrounded by imperfection Oct 26, 2005
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.
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