Album Details

• Artist: Abbott Hayes
• Album: Giving Myself Away
• Label: Indie
• Year of Release: 2008
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: hstisgod on 2009-03-24

Abbott Hayes from Tupper Lake, NY (Some of our staff should already be aware) has a blend of traditional rock and emo charged vocalism. Having already been featured as one of two unsigned bands on the Main Disc of the Drive Thru Records/Purevolume Compilation "Bands You Should Know and Love", these guys have a credibility and resume. But what do they sound like?

At first audio, their first track Just As Well, has a contagious and continous melody that can easily get stuck in your cranium. Groovy verse guitar work, and a nonchalant vocal story, this track wont win any techical awards but has a nice range of vocal and instrumental exploration. If I may be so bold, this is not only their best track, but it alone warrants another studio effort. As for the rest of the record, its bland and tedious, and often times far too cookie cutter for 1999 much less 2009.

Then again, they do manage to leave the bubblegum for a few tracks. For instance, "Mountains" begins with a more Oberst and pianist like sound, and leads back into genericism. "Resting Place" sounds to be a duo, and the additional vocals do enhance the total track. "Earth Gently Rolls" is well written but still has a taste that simply needs spice.

Constant melodic energy is the key here, whether or not you dig that melody is the question. Don't look for the anything shocking or fresh, but merely another a solid and respectable version of what you already know.

User Reviews and Comments

on 2009-04-01 SolitaryMan Said:

What I find most remarkable about these home-town fellas is not the sound they create, but the fact that they can create it at all in this environment. The town of Tupper Lake is very much cut off from the bigger parts of the region, and it shows in it's economic woes and other worsening living conditions. It's a very dreary place most of the year, and although many people here are full of enthusiasm, most of the younger folk are migrating to higher ground and better things. You've got to appreciate a band who sticks around to help keep things lively, and Abbot Hayes are our most well-known product of any sort, to my knowledge.
Rating: 8/10