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CD Review: Straylight Run

Date 10/27/2005 12:00 AM | Topic: Arts & Culture

In today's music production arena, artists' recordings are frequently subject to the modifications and adjustments of producers and other label-assigned experts.

Straylight Run's six-track EP, "Prepare to be Wrong," is a testament to the magnitude of astounding sounds that ensue when the artist remains in control of the production room.

With front man and co-founder John Nolan at the sound board, the band delivers soothing yet disturbing melodies to the listener's ear.

We're reminded of the power in sibling-cohesiveness as the recording opens with the whimsical and sophisticated vocals of Michelle Nolan.

The ambient melody builds around her voice as the keyboard hums and the cymbal clicks. "I Don't Want This Anymore" continues on dreamily as Nolan longs to be anywhere else.

"It Never Gets Easier" solidifies the tone for the quartet's second release on Victory Records as they bring back the familiar sound of John Nolan's vocals over the pound of piano keys.

His voice moves from reassuring to irritable as he provides insight into the songwriting process, singing: "All I really need to find / is one short clever line / to pinpoint my disgust it's always just too much or not enough."

The tension in the lyrics is prominently higher than Straylight's self-titled 2004 debut.

"Prepare To Be Wrong" cannot be considered a politically driven release, but the lyrics never shy away from giving the band a political voice.

The inclusion of a remarkable cover of Bob Dylan's "With God On Our Side" provides a classic commentary on foreign policy and the reaction at home to the war.

Straylight Run also presents their own objection through the track "Later That Year," which counts bodies, wrapped in flags on a homeward journey and alludes that the justification doesn't add up.

"A Slow Descent" is a strong candidate to be the first single from the release, and could be placed seamlessly inside of the previous full-length record.

The song works well to highlight the talents of all four band members. The evocative effect of layering John and Michelle's harmonious vocals is irrefutable.

John provides passionate fervency on the keys while Shaun Cooper reliantly matches him on the progression and reminds the listener of the capacity the bass guitar holds as a primarily melodic instrument.

It's simple to recollect why Will Noon is arguably one of the greatest living drummers as he furnishes the tempo and adds complexity from the drum set on the intricate five-minute build.

Compared to the tracks "Existentialism on Prom Night" and "For The Best," this song includes Nolan's most personal lyrics and a chance to reminisce on his career.

He chants: "When I started / I knew I could make a difference / then one day people started listening."

Nolan has gone in and out of the spotlight in recent years. That action is evident in the lyrics: "A slow decent from unique to routine / just do it again and this time with feeling."

No account of John Nolan's music career can be finalized without mentioning his short stint in Taking Back Sunday.

It's assumable the lyric, "The focus on the friends and the feelings / that made those stupid songs all worth singing," is an attempt to give closure to the drama that followed the departure of Nolan and Cooper from the band.

The validity of the EP is conclusive: they made the right choice.

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Coz Lindsay

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