Friday, August 09, 2013

Band Review: The Energy


I had been listening to The Energy this week, getting ready to write this, and yesterday saw a tweet from Gone By Daylight, another band, about going to the Jimmy Eat World concert with James (Clifford, The Energy's bass player). I found that cool. I like Jimmy Eat World, and they put on a great show.
Also, with no clear reason for it, The Energy's song "American Disaster" reminds me of the Gin Blossoms' "Don't Change For Me", and someone else had recently suggested a Gin Blossoms/ Jimmy Eat World tour (both bands originated in Arizona), and I would pay to see that. Usually that's an expression, but literally, I would totally buy a ticket to that. (Gin Blossoms are currently on the road with Sugar Ray, Smash Mouth, and Vertical Horizon.)
My point, rambling though it may be, is that I enjoy this camaraderie between musicians, where band members are not too cool to like other bands, or get excited about a show. It keeps them human. The Energy (who lists Vertical Horizon in their "Influences" section) may not be well-known, but are very much pros in this fellowship, logging thousands of miles and hundreds of venues.
You can tell. They sound professional. Footage of them at the Gramercy Theater shows them looking very comfortable. They know what they're doing. They could use a bigger audience. And more gigs.
The band's Facebook page is a great place to start, with 9 tracks, 4 videos, and some photos. The only regular video is for "Go To Girl", which works pretty well for the content. Then there is the previously-mentioned performance, as well as two lyric videos, for "Free" and "American Disaster". The lyric video for "Free" suits the tone better, but there are come clever pairings in the slide show for "American Disaster".
Musically, I love "American Disaster" the most. It builds and feels upbeat, while nonetheless being about failure. Perhaps its natural follow-up is "Hanging On", though I am also pretty fond of "Until I Fall". The lyrics are smart, often going somewhere other than you would expect. There is a bit of a tendency towards the carnal.
The genre is pretty much rock, but with a good range. "Free" is very funky, with a possible gospel influence. Having gone through the nine songs several times, it sounds to me as if each song has its own texture, which I appreciate, and there are some very decent guitar solos. They're a solid band. They deserve their audience.
Music is available on iTunes.

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