Justifiably, the word Eve means the period preceding or leading up to an event or crisis. It is also the namesake of Bridges and Powerlines sophomore LP set to drop February 1st. Coming out of NYC, this indie pop band has a lot to live up to – and to their credit, they fulfill expectation. All successful albums must present a collection of tracks that take the audience to a new dimension - introduces a challenge, then play with emotions enough to get an uncontrollable dance in a bedroom, club or on a pole (depending on what you’re into). Eve does this, but it only goes half way there – right to the brink, leading up to something spectacular – hesitates – then finally pushes you off the edge.
Andrew Wood (keys/vocals), David Boyd (guitar/vocals), Keith Sigel (bass/vocals), and Mason Ingram (lead vocals) came to NYC in 2001, post-Sept 11. It was a time of resurrection and the rapid rebirth of an indie-pop culture. Their debut album Ghost Types received a few favorable nods and enjoyed a seven-week run in the CMJ top 200. Now they’re back, and after a year of writing and pre-production they finally created the album “they always wanted to make”. They coined their sound “optimist fuzz pop,” which is basically two tablespoons of synth pop mixed in a bowl of indie rock. Benefiting from the adept production of Kieran Kelley, they created an album with intricate guitar riffs, psychodelic vocals, chamber-like horns and a soulful percussion. Indeed, musical arrangement became the stand out element of this album.
“You Were The First Thing,” a favorite, opens up with pipe organs and intrigues with catchy guitar loops, enough to keep the song on repeat. One is then taken to the edge as the chorus belts out “I might feel more if I met you a lifetime later in an old city….” – the indie version of Erika Badu’s “See You Next Lifetime”. The next track, “Balcony” is a melodic genius. It is contagious with a pleasantly surprising arrangement of strings at the climax of the song, making Bridges and Powerlines‘ stay in the music game believable. The title track “Eve” slams with a pop-rock vibe filled with a feeling of longing and nostalgia with “The Roman Leaders” following suit.
Conclusion: Bridges and Powerlines’ Eve has managed to keep NYC on the map, and for that they get a 4.5 star salute.
[...] and Powerlines was added to Spotify a couple of days ago. Genre: catchy indie pop/rock. Read this review and [...]