When I first got the physical album, my first reaction is "Wow great cover!" I love the minimalist approach... how clever and sleek it looks. I like in the inlay too - simple but it works aesthetically. That kinda makes me want to listen to the CD! Haha... I like this old school feeling of having a CD in your hand, looking at the design and flipping through the booklet. Digital downloads can never replicate this feeling.
Anyway back to the album, which is called Brighter than the Sun. I must say I really like the music arrangement of almost all the songs. It sounded a lot more versatile than other local bands, which has an overwhelming 'band sound' with lots of, sometimes excessive electric guitar. Not that it's bad but variety is good. I love many of the intro to the songs which makes me want to listen to the rest of the song, particularly Choices which is one of my favorite, if not my favorite track. Production wise, all the songs sounded very polished and finished. I guess having them mastered in New York does make all the difference.
Generally I don't really have a taste-bud for rock music, particularly the more heavy ones but occasional pop/rock music is good. And I find myself liking several tracks from this album, which is pretty pop/rock and radio friendly. Besides Choices, I've given Never Be The Same, Love (Everything will be Alright), the title track - Brighter than the Sun and Breathe several more 'spins' or playcount than the rest. They have good melody or arrangements which gave me a deeper impression.
Besides the arrangement, Alvin's voice also stands out from the rest of the local band crowd, at least to me. He mentioned about some singing technique which he paid quite a bit for the vocal class... can't remember what it is though. I must say it took me a little while to get used to it, mainly because I know him and his singing voice differs greatly from his talking voice, which is not uncommon actually. I like his kinda airy/breathy singing style (I hope I got the terms right) but I do think he needs to work a little more on getting the words out a little more clearly. On some of the verses/songs, I couldn't make out what he is singing about... which brings us to the lyrics!
To be frank, like many listener (I think), I really didn't pay much attention to the lyrics. OR it's not strong enough to stick to my head. I made an effort to read through some of the songs and I do think it tends to be a little too fragmented and kinda fancy with a lot of imagery or visual descriptions. A little too romantic for me i guess? Haha... Anyway I understand it's not easy to come up with good lyrics and it's really first time good effort so keep it up! =)
I'm really glad I have the time to finish listening to this album. These days it's really a challenge for me to listen to one whole album. Sometimes, I would listen to an album just once and those songs which don't get my attention wouldn't have a chance of getting heard more than halfway and will not make it for a second spin. So I'm glad this album has enough good elements to keep me interested and sit through it. And I'm not saying this because I know one of the band members. Those who know me would know that I say what I mean. And I try to be constructive with my criticism.
Finally, I think we should support our local arts & music scene. But we should not support it just for the sake of supporting. It needs feedback and reality check, or else it will not grow or mature. And I sincerely think En-X deserves our support. You can listen to their album at their Facebook or MySpace account and be a fan/friend. You can also see Alvin's rendition of other pop songs on their YouTube account. If you want the album, you can contact them on Facebook or MySpace.
All the best Alvin, Benjamin and Vanessa! Hope to hear your songs on the radio soon, if it's not already being played!
