Oakland quartet Audrye Sessions finally have their debut full length album in stores. The self-titled record comes on the heels of a successful EP.The lead track, "Turn Me Off", was the centrepiece of the EP and seems destined to become an alternative rock anthem.
Despite Nickel Creek's Sara Watkins' lending a hand ("The Crows Came In"), most of the songs on Audrye Sessions are derivations on "Turn It Off". Melodramatic vocals and polished guitars touch on many of the cliched "Alternative Rock" elements.
"Relentless" is a typical mid tempo number you would hear churned out of your local commercial Modern Rock station.
There are some redeeming qualities to the album. Despite overwrought vocals, "New Year's Day" features some out of the box arrangements, complete with harmonium. "Where You'll Find Me" takes another important step with the addition of trumpets.
The most noteworthy aspect of the album is the bass work of Alicia Marie Campbell. First evident as a boingy rhythm on "Julianna" it steps forward from the shadows again on "The Paper Face", "Awake" and "Where You'll Find Me" among others. It's this deft and subtle element that provides the true spark for the band.
Audrye Sessions would be a far stronger record if Campbell's bass were a more prominent feature of the songs. If it were, Audrye Sessions would stand out head and shoulders above similar bands.
Best tracks: "Julianna", "Where You'll Find Me"
Track listing for Audrye Sessions:
- Turn Me Off
- Perfect, Sometimes
- Julianna
- Relentless
- The Paper Face
- Awake
- New Year's Day
- Where You'll Find Me
- Nothing Pure Can Stay
- She Had To Leave
- The Crows Come In
- Dust and Bones
5.0
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