Tweet

Album Details

• Artist: Codeseven
• Album: Dancing Echoes/Dead Sounds
• Label: Equal Vision
• Year of Release: 2004
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: hstisgod on 2004-11-24

Immediately running up inside my head is the automatic comparisons with 80's Synth acts such as The Cure, "Dancing Echoes/Dead Sounds" accelerates at times just as its self-explanatory album title would suggest. Upbeat, somber waves of pop alternative energy and song writing skill become the core aspect, changing the mental gears on your initial assumptions.

This story could start back almost ten years ago when this North Carolina based act started its recording journey. Originally labeled "The Next Deftones", Codeseven has changed genre and sounds more often than Vanilla Ice would without his daily dose of Ritalin. But after nearly a decade of building what seemed to be a Hard Rock fan base, it seems they're trading in the screeching sounds of metal for the soothing sounds of Synth. All in all, it's not such a bad change as it seems to suit them just fine.

Although "All The Best Dreams" is slated to be the first video off their Equal Vision Records debut, arguably the real heart of this L.P. beats on track five "Roped and Tide." Constantly beating with a dream sequence feel, the vocal effort and lyrics take the spotlight as the case should have been already, but just didn't on the previous four tracks. "O, and I think its gonna give me a heart attack, You're acting like a broken record skipping every track." Like the album just woke up, we will continue to ignore the slow beginning. Almost as if someone just walked into the studio and turned up the volume at the chagrin of the once napping mop boy. Perhaps its just me, but this recording seems livelier all of a sudden. Though the guitar chords bleeding through the speakers seem a bit used and bland, the belief that something refreshing is on the way continues to gel inside your head.

I suppose it's time to get into the comparison runoffs for those who need such a thing. Introducing track nine the appropriately named "Alt Wav". While this song won't wow anyone with it's unprecedented amazing sound or beats, it does blend a plethora of new and old mixtures of past hits such as Radiohead's 'Creep", occasionally sneaking in the angry stutter stop guitar chord effect in the background. "I don't know ...what you put into my glass, but it sure makes me feel, it sure makes me feel." Joined at the hip with the already predictable Tears for Fears-like vocals, and the backbeat drums of the Yeah Yeah Yeah's 2004 hit 'Maps', this song and album will certainly grab the attention of its influences.

While to this point many comparisons have been made, none seem more fitting for the new Codeseven than the original 80's Synth/Pop Rock kings themselves Depeche Mode. Showing a natural admiration for mixing all genre of Rock/Alternative, Codeseven doesn't seem to follow one particular guideline or another. Bellowing throughout the disc, "Dancing Echoes and Dead Sounds", Track 12 "Sunflower" for instance, shows evidence of the once edgy Codeseven . Perhaps a play on words making reference to their own blooming, ending this CD with a blank stare. "My god what have they done."

User Reviews and Comments

Log In or Register to Rate Albums