Tuesday, February 20, 2007

CD Review: 1000 Miles From Home’s Collusion

By Erin Rice

The biggest compliment I think I can give this EP is that after listening to it the requisite six or more times, I still want to listen to it again and again. Usually you need to take a break from the record you review for a little while, and sometimes, even months later, a song from an old reviewed album will pop up in the iTunes shuffle and you immediately think, "Ugh, not ready yet." That is definitely not the case with 1000 Miles From Home’s debut, original EP Collusion.

It’s hard to singly categorize Collusion and 1000 Miles From Home’s sound, but if you take the more recent music from Incubus, strip it down to the essential instruments (guitar, drums, bass), get rid of Brandon Boyd, and add a pinch more pop/indie, this record is likely what you would get.

Collusion starts with "The Man," a song which intros sounding like it could be from Breaking Benjamin, or even a more metal-melodic tune from Lostprophets. While this song pulls back from going into metal, it has a strong rock backing, with the appropriate guitar solo to solidify its status as the hardest song on the album.

"Explain the Explanation" is definitely the most "newer Incubus-esque" song on the EP. You notice right away that it’s a very pretty rock song, and then you get to the chorus and you’re hooked in:

"All that’s left in my head,

I remember one thing, I missed what you said.

All that’s left to be said,

Was her faint breath misread."

I have no idea what that means. I hope I figure it out, however, because that first line really is all that’s left in my head, as it has battled out every other catchy tune to come by this week. At first I wasn’t sure how I felt about this song, but after a few listens, it has become my favorite 1000 Miles From Home track.

"Betrayal" is an interesting one, as the lyrics are pretty downtrodden but the tempo is incredibly upbeat. It’s a conundrum, but I still really like it. "Confiding in Pylons" is the darkest sounding song with more of those darn infectious lyrics (though no match for "all that’s left in my head").

The fifth song, "When You Go," is rather different from the rest of the album to this point. It breaks into a slightly faster tempo, and has a kind of emo, (Emo? Bite your tongue!) SoCal, beach-angst type sound. I can definitely picture an MTV teen reality special, set amidst an oceanic view, with this song running through the soundtrack. It’s a fun track and a nice addition to round out the album’s range. Finally, "Long Drive to Texas" seems to be about how the mind wanders and questions itself when left to do nothing but think. If you have made any cross-country drives lately, you’ll easily be able to identify with this one.

Overall, Collusion is an incredibly catchy album with prettier songs mixed among slightly darker tunes and lyrics. At points I was wishing that lead singer Zac Carrington would take some more risks with his vocal range, maybe a little more emphasis or passion here and there. But then there are track like "Explain the Explanation" and "The Man" where he completely nails it, so my criticism is ever so tiny and fleeting as I fall more and more in love with this album.

Collusion will be released March 9 via iTunes, Rhapsody, Napster, and the band’s site, among other places. 1000 Miles From Home will be having its first CD release party at RockHouse Live on March 10.

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See more stories in:

• Arts > Popular Music > Alternative / Indie
• Arts > Popular Music > Rock

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