Full Review: The Canvas Waiting – A Seasons Change

I think I started this review ten different ways, all of which, just trying to get out how great I thought this record was. In the end I think it’s enough to simply say that ‘A Seasons Change’ propels this band beyond anywhere I would have guessed they could be with one of the best EP’s to come out so far in 2009.

The band has refined their sound from what used to be shy and blurring rock into defined, and all around solid rock ‘n roll. There is just enough alt. country flavor in some of the tracks like “Stepping Stone” as to add a little variety but I still don’t think I would call it a sub-genre for them. “Mercy” leads off the album with a warm greeting, although heart breaking in nature, the song shows off great dynamics and a memorable chorus. The thing which sticks out when listening to “Mercy” is the fact that this track spent dealing with faded love does so in a positive way, something in lyrics that’s not the norm.

The album varies between upbeat and slow songs, neither of which overshadows the other. “My Dying Day” steps up in a strong way early on pulling on the heart strings but uses a cool doubling effect with the vocals that adds a lot at the song’s end. The real stand out track is “River Hymn”. One of the first lines, “Take me down to the river and make me whole, and lay my body in the water and put that chill in my bones…” actually is able to spark a chill coming from Nathan Medina’s vocals and the hauntingly somber tone. While this album doesn’t revolve around any single song, “River Hymn” comes close to being that song.

As much as a good band name or album cover count towards the overall presentation, being swept away by the first few moments of the album’s opening song goes a long way towards falling in love with a great collection of songs which is what ‘A Seasons Change’ is.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 10th, 2009 at 10:51 pm and is filed under Full Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.