Either/Or A Music Review

On Saturday November 8th, I attended a concert in La Due auditorium. There were four bands that played and three of them were on tour. The first musician who played that night was an awkward man seeming to be in his middle 20’s. I told him I wish I had the money to buy his CD and he said I could name a price. The sad thing was I had absolutely no money. So he just gave it to me for free. He told me that the CD didn't have any words on it. So I still didn't even know the name of his band. Luckily he gave me a sticker with Either/Or written on it. I told him he reminded me of a lot of bands on the Plan-It-X record label, a label he has never heard of. The first odd detail about Either/Or is that none of the songs have titles; well actually the whole album doesn't have any words included. It was a new concept though, and it really let the songs speak for themselves. The first track starts off with a few reversed notes and then a yearning voice with an acoustic guitar coming in for a few measures and then the full band starts. People who are looking for perfect production might find this album hard to listen to. The mixing on it is a little shaky but in my opinion that only adds to the album’s honesty. The first track has everything I want in a song: good lyrics, great music, and gang vocals. This whole album is filled with fun acoustic songs with a punk feel. There are a few surprises here and there, but overall this album doesn't mess with the familiar formula that works for James (the main man in the band) and whoever else might be a part of the set when they play. Acoustic guitar, vocals, a soothing synthesizer, bass, and drum are all companied by the all too honest lyrics. All the songs are short enough to make you repeat those two or three times. You get 16 songs in just over 24 minutes. You know you'll have to pay attention if you want to notice all the great qualities to Either/Or's music. On the exterior, Either/Or looks and sounds like just another run of the mill band, but listening to the record reveals that there is something new and refreshing here. So if you are looking for a change from all the cookie-cutter bands that you hear everyday; you should check them out. You'll be singing along before you know it.
Myspace.com/eitherorr
-Rusty Anderson, Junior