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| | Combinations | | | Music Artist : | | Eisley | | Music Style : | | General | | Record Label : | | Rykodisc UK | | Release Date : | | 2008-01-13 | | Store Price : | | $23.98 | | Artistopia's Price: $23.98 | | Usually ships in 24 hours | | |
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CD Tracks/Songs
Disc 11. Many Funerals
2. Invasion
3. Taking Control
4. Go Away
5. I Could Be There for You
6. Come Clean
7. Ten Cent Blues
8. Sight to Behold
9. Combinations
10. If You're Wondering
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Other Artist Albums
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Customer Reviews of This Album/CD |
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 Some good, most mediocre
Submitted on: 2009-10-14 |
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Combinations is Eisley's sophomore album, the much-anticipated follow-up to the amazing Room Noises. While the album has some valiant offerings and highlights some of the band's strengths, it ultimately lacks the very core of what makes Eisley Eisley.
The album opens with the epic and thundering Many Funerals, which showcases the band's foray into different time signatures and heavy distortion. The vocals on this track are also spot on and pure Eisley, with Stacy and Sherri belting out the song with as much resolve as I've ever heard from them. The next track, Invasions, hits you with a relentless intensity and is just as satisfying. The lyrics to this song are chilling and amazing and a great change of pace for Eisley. The album then falters a bit with Taking Control, which seems to be little more than Sheryl Crow-esque pop both in sound and word. It then immediately redeems itself with Go Away, which allows Stacy to show that while her voice may not be quite as delicate as it used to be, it's getting richer and more powerful as time goes on. After Go Away, however, the album goes south, and fast. The rest of the songs are rather unremarkable except possibly for A Sight to Behold, which has a slight twinge of heavy metal influence.
Other reviewers of this album seem to think that Eisley has "grown up." What an absurd assessment. In my opinion, the band's "fire" seems to be dying down quite a bit. What makes this band unique is their ability to look at the world through innocent eyes and portray their own brand of visceral, yet delicate and wistful imagery. While a little of that shines through in Combinations, it is readily apparent that the girls are trading in lyrics like "I cut the moon in half/and stuck a piece to my hair/and made the back of my hair glow" for more standard, cliche songwriting fare like "I'll never let you walk out my door." In the title track the band seems to fiddle around with an interesting Eastern-sound instrument, but markedly absent from the whole album is Stacy's Rhodes piano. It's a mystery why they would so abruptly stop using an instrument that has so completely defined their sound.
All in all, I'd say that this album is merely a highly-polished attempt at scoring radio hits and here's to hoping their next effort is better. |
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 Not The Best Effort, a few good songs.
Submitted on: 2009-04-21 |
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| well i listen to this album from Eisley. Combinations is decent effort, the vocals from the female vocalists are wonderful and that's why i didn't give it three or two stars in this review. but the album could've used a little more attention to detail in terms making it's more listenable, like adding pop touches like a few riffs of the guitars and other instuments that would've made it a better listen. to me this album was spotty at best if it was remixed and care went into making it a wonderful listen. then i'd rave about it. but everything sounds as if they did it in one take and didn't bother to improve the record. i mean it not terrible record far from it. but a pretty uninspiring listen. too bad because i like the band. buy room noises you'll like that one better. |
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Like cheese and crackers
Submitted on: 2008-04-28 |
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When most people hear the name Eisley, they'll probably think about Mr. Biggs and Ernie. No, it's not that soulful duo; while THIS band is also consisted of relatives (three sisters, one brother and one cousin), they strictly deal with indie pop. I don't remember where I heard of them, but I have to say that I do enjoy their second album, Combinations.
Standouts include "Ten Cent Blues", "I Could Be There for You", and "If You're Wondering". And "A Sight to Behold" is just that. In fact, the only song that I can really do without is the opening track, "Many Funerals", because the production on it is pretty disorganized (well, during the chorus, anyway). Combinations deviates a tad from the norm, but it's still worth picking up.
Anthony Rupert |
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A contemporary take on classic sounds
Submitted on: 2008-03-16 |
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| It sounds like Carpenters meet Bangles meet Evanescence. I don't mean it in a bad way, but simply as a descriptive one. It's got a great sound and good vocal arrangements, but despite this it lacks a signature song that takes the album forward. Good for studying or while fixing things around the house. |
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Eisley wastes no time moving beyond its fluffy debut.
Submitted on: 2008-01-02 |
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| Eisley wastes no time moving beyond its fluffy debut. "Many Funerals" opens Combinations with soaring, minor-key vocals, a pounding cut-time riff, and a decidedly dark subject. The subsequent tracks are equally strong, with driving drums, back-scratching piano breaks, and the siblings' signature cascading harmonies. Witness "A Sight to Behold" - the Corrs could take a few lessons here on how to layer vocals without losing the rock edge. Stacy, Chantelle, Sherri, Weston, and Garron DuPree may be young, but Eisley is no Hannah Montana wanna-be. Fans of Fleetwood Mac, Yes, the Corrs, and the Raspberries will find a haven here. |
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