Riverside Out of Myself
The Lasers Edge LE1039 2005
By Jason Jordan
Chances are, if you know anything about Riverside, its that the incomparable Travis Smith of Seempieces crafted the artwork for their latest album (it's all nice and big for your viewing pleasure). Aside from that, the band has managed to stay completely underground. Out of Myself is the first proper release from this quartet and though the lyrics are overtly heartfelt the music is brooding and meanders more than anything.
Sadly, nothing quite matched the build-up of The Same River. In the introduction, the listener hears someone browsing through radio stations and Eagless Hotel California is easily distinguishable. Also of note are the snare drum rolls that heighten the mood, ambient guitars, and the subtle keyboards. By the 3:00 minute mark, were led into a promising, burgeoning piece of music and I, for one, want to see where it leads and what its final destination is. Much like a river, though, the opus is content to ebb and flow. The clean vocals dont even enter until the 7:00 minute mark, and that specific point in time is reminiscent of Tool. After twelve minutes, Out of Myself commences. Again, a Tool comparison is not far-fetched. I Believe, the third track, starts with a soundclip that plays host to a gamut of conversations, but delves into an acoustic guitar passage. The first instrumental Reality Dream kicks in next, and is revisited in the instrumental Reality Dream II some time later. Its in the aforementioned songs that Im most comfortable labeling Riverside modern prog. The production is fantastic here, too. The disc closes with In Two Minds, The Curtain Falls, and Ok.
Out of Myself I felt wasnt focused enough. Sometimes the group drones on with their instrumentation and, at other times, the vocal-tinged parts become less than captivating. Riverside definitely give nods to other bands in their music, and the latter are whom I will stick with. Regrettable is the fact that Im not as enamored with this as I would like to be.
7/10
Official Riverside Website
Official The Lasers Edge Website
The Lasers Edge LE1039 2005
By Jason Jordan
Chances are, if you know anything about Riverside, its that the incomparable Travis Smith of Seempieces crafted the artwork for their latest album (it's all nice and big for your viewing pleasure). Aside from that, the band has managed to stay completely underground. Out of Myself is the first proper release from this quartet and though the lyrics are overtly heartfelt the music is brooding and meanders more than anything.
Sadly, nothing quite matched the build-up of The Same River. In the introduction, the listener hears someone browsing through radio stations and Eagless Hotel California is easily distinguishable. Also of note are the snare drum rolls that heighten the mood, ambient guitars, and the subtle keyboards. By the 3:00 minute mark, were led into a promising, burgeoning piece of music and I, for one, want to see where it leads and what its final destination is. Much like a river, though, the opus is content to ebb and flow. The clean vocals dont even enter until the 7:00 minute mark, and that specific point in time is reminiscent of Tool. After twelve minutes, Out of Myself commences. Again, a Tool comparison is not far-fetched. I Believe, the third track, starts with a soundclip that plays host to a gamut of conversations, but delves into an acoustic guitar passage. The first instrumental Reality Dream kicks in next, and is revisited in the instrumental Reality Dream II some time later. Its in the aforementioned songs that Im most comfortable labeling Riverside modern prog. The production is fantastic here, too. The disc closes with In Two Minds, The Curtain Falls, and Ok.
Out of Myself I felt wasnt focused enough. Sometimes the group drones on with their instrumentation and, at other times, the vocal-tinged parts become less than captivating. Riverside definitely give nods to other bands in their music, and the latter are whom I will stick with. Regrettable is the fact that Im not as enamored with this as I would like to be.
7/10
Official Riverside Website
Official The Lasers Edge Website
