Sleepwalker

2005 Interscope Records Official Site

Review by Michael Mason

Seeing as I was raised on rock and roll, emo in general seems slightly weak musically with its mellow tones and inclusion of piano parts.  This reporter is usually seen bouncing around a mosh pit jamming out to blazing guitar solos, thrashing bass lines and lyrics growled out unintelligibly.  Emo is a lightly calmer set of music with less aggressive tones.  This CD was more rock than I expected; is contains a harsher edge than most other emo music kicking around today.  Lyrically it lives up to the genre with its songs of pain and loss along with joy and hopefulness.  

The CD starts off with a lyrically aggressive “Alcohol and Bandages.”  Most of the lyrics following this short but aggressive song are similar in shocking harsh realities revealing a life spent in the shadows.  Songs like “I Should Mean More” and “Slow Suicide” are a staple for the CD.  The band is an interesting duo of Jamison Covington and Parker Chase.  Jamison is the lyricist and lead singer for the band, while Parker plays lead guitar. Drummer Jarrod Alexander and bassist Ted Vega round out the group.  After taking an extended break between debut EP and debut CD, the CD will be released on July 12.  I think it’s worth snagging.  Maybe even get one for your dog. It’s just that good.

Rating: 82/100