Debut Album Review: Eisley's Room Noises

Eisley’s impressive debut, Room Noises, spins with an innocent, mysterious, melancholy vigor reminiscent of Belly with steroid-injected harmonies. The 12 tracks featured on the album showcase the talented quintet’s ability to delve into the imaginary worlds of stimulus deprived children, and replicate their findings beautifully for the rest of us.

Those who have been following the band since their 2003 EPs will be familiar with the band’s overall sound. Dragging harmonies overtop, with driving drum beats and guitar laden countermelodies seem all the more remarkable when you take into account that Eisley’s oldest member, Chauntelle Dupree, is only 22. Her sisters, Sherri and Stacey, alongside brother Weston and childhood neighbor Jonathan Wilson, make up the rest of the act.

Fresh renditions of favorites “I Wasn’t Prepared” and “Marvelous Things” show how far Eisley has come the last two years by improving on their already catchy productions. New works like “Golly Sandra” and “Just Like We Do” sound like flawlessly crafted early-90s alternative tracks. Room Noises is rounded out by a series of songs that grow like vines on the listener, slow and unsuspecting.

It would be audacious to say Eisley has crafted a perfect record. They’ve certainly found their sound, but dynamics are occasionally forced, driving songs louder and faster than necessary. The revamped “Telescope Eyes” stands as the best example of this while “Plenty of Paper” would be more appropriate scaled down to display the intricate vocals and fascinating lyrics.

Room Noises is one of the strongest debuts in recent memory and Eisley are certainly on their way to accomplishing big things. They’ve already opened up for Coldplay, Brand New, and Snow Patrol over the last few years. The youngsters from Tyler, Texas carry incredible musical range for being so early in their career.

If Room Noises is any indication of what’s to come, I will be waiting anxiously.

Be sure to check out:

Eisley's Web site for upcoming tour dates

Fellow Blogcritic, The Theory's, Review

And MRBenning's World, where this review is cross posted.

Article Author: Michael Benning

Visit Michael Benning's author page — Michael Benning's Blog