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Battle Creek

Hold Hope Oh Withered Tree

Written by: TL on 30/03/2008 23:54:09

What would happen if Moneen met The Arcade Fire on a porch in a morning smelling of John Mayer\'s \"Clarity\" and sat down to jam with some horns? I have no idea, but it seems that Battle Creek has come up with a suggestion on their recent album \"Hold Hope Oh Withered Tree\".

Like other bands located in the crossfire between indie and oldschool emocore (think Bear Vs Shark) There\'s easily audible passion and honesty in this band\'s vocalwork, and this is also where my Moneen-parallel comes in, as the voices on this record are more than a little similar to theirs. The songs are driven in turn by guitar and trumpet, and the resulting expression drifts lazily around like the fresh air of a summer morning where you step outside in the grass with bare feet.

Grabbing your attention from the get-go we have the third song \"The Lion\'s Tail\" with its gang chorus \"S-T-O-R-E! H-O-U-S-E!\" imprenting itself on your memory for no sensible reason. It\'s just an upbeat track that puts a smile on your face with its mood and without you needing to have a clue about what it\'s about. Two tracks later \"Birds Of A Feather\" has the same kind of intriguing effect and the ninth song \"Sculptures (Of Meadows And Grasses\" also fascinates with it\'s trumpet line.

For the rest of the album however, the band seems to get a bit lost in their own soundscape. The songs seem to falter, as momentum is lost by getting tied up in too long and too pretty instrumental passages and that also ends up posing as an unfortunate overall trait of character. It\'s pleasant and intriguing to listen to for sure, but the dynamics and compositions on most of the songs need some tweaking before they\'ll really get anyone excited.

Apart from that however, the band\'s style alone is odd enough to have awakened my curiosity, and as \"Hold Hope Oh Withered Tree\" does have a handful of wellworking moments, I won\'t hesitate from recommending it to everyone who\'s thirsty for something fresh.

Download: The Lion\'s Tail, Birds Of A Feather, Sculptures (Of Meadows And Grasses)
For the fans of: Gracer, Bear Vs Shark, Moneen, MewithoutYou
Listen: Myspace

Release date: 11.11.2007
UNSIGNED BAND