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| | Combinations With Bonus DVD (Limited Edition) | | | Music Artist : | | Eisley | | Music Style : | | General | | Record Label : | | Reprise / Wea | | Release Date : | | 2007-08-14 | | Discs : | | 2 | | Store Price : | | $19.98 | | Artistopia's Price: $19.98 | | 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. A 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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 Another great album from Eisley
Submitted on: 2008-10-21 |
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Beautifully produced with more wonderful songs from this gem of a family band. This album takes you from the sci-fi lyric and pop/rock beat of "invasion" to the loveliness of the sublime 'if you're wondering' with everything inbetween. The soaring 'combination' of Sherri and Stacy's vocals is intoxicating to the ears. I bought the limited edition with an excellent dvd included which is well worth watching over again.
I cannot rate this band highly enough. Hardly known in the UK they deserve a much wider audience. |
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 Very catchy
Submitted on: 2008-01-12 |
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| I've really enjoyed Eisley throughout the years, and this album is great. It's not quite as good as the first LP but does get stuck in my head and I enjoy it a lot. |
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Just as good as Room Noises
Submitted on: 2008-01-10 |
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At first I wasn't too pleased with this sophomore effort, but then it REALLY grew on me. The album is way too short but has very little if any filler. This still has that dreamy Eisley sound to it, it gives you the feeling that you're in a fairytale or something.
Standout tracks (ranked):
#1 - If you're wondering
#2 - Invasion
#3 - Combinations
#4 - Many Funerals
#5 - Come Clean
#6 - Taking Control
The rest of the songs are just kind of so so, I don't mean they're bad they're still Eisley, but they lack the charm and get repetitive. |
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There's a bonus DVD, too...
Submitted on: 2007-09-26 |
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I'll begin by reviewing the bonus DVD, since no one's mentioned it yet. The bonus DVD includes a "making of" video, the "Memories" video, and live concert footage (8 tracks). The "making of" video consists of snippets from the recording sessions in Richard Gibbs' studio. You get to see the band in some unguarded moments, and get to hear their voices totally raw without any embellishment. Interesting, possibly inspirational for die-hard fans, but nothing earth-shattering. Funny that they spelled Chautelle's name wrong in the band introduction section ("Chantel").
The "Memories" video is the same one that's been out since "Room Noises." It's got some pretty cool, whimsical CGI, which adds to the emotional punch of the song. For those--like myself--who've only seen the video on Youtube, it's nice to have it in a higher quality format; however the aged-film effect takes away some of the sparkle.
The 8 live video tracks are from a performance at the Ventura Theater. The quality is pretty good, with multiple cameras used and decent sound quality. The songs are mostly from "Room Noises," but also include "Mr. Pine," "Head Against the Sky," and "Like the Actors." "Like the Actors" is a gem of a song which I had not heard before, and is one of my favorites from this CD-DVD combo. I had heard "Mr. Pine" before; it's a song that lyrically is more "Room Noises," but seems musically closer to "Combinations." "Head Against the Sky" is a more convetional pop-rock song, and to me it lacks some of the Eisley magic. The live concert footage ends with a version of Trolleywood in which members of the opening acts join in on keyboards, guitar and tambourines and, shockingly, don't totally screw up the song.
All in all, the bonus DVD is well worth the additional bucks, though I do prefer the yellow artwork of the regular CD over the blue of the Limited Edition.
The Combinations CD is a strong, if short, collection of songs. "Many Funerals" is a powerful opener that, 45 seconds in, serves notice that we're not in "Room Noises" any more. Singing "Break, break down..." over an aural frenzy establishes the DuPrees' new, crunchier sound. Transitioning to such a new sound could easily come off as contrived and calculated, but Eisley seems to have pulled it off, making it sound like a natural evolution of their style.
The next songs; "Invasion," "Taking Control," and "Go Away" continue in that vein, though the crunch has been turned down a few degrees. These three songs will all grab you with their strong hooks, invade your brain, take control of your "hum-o-thalmus," and will simply refuse to go away.
The next song, "I Could Be There For You," opens with uncharacteristically timid singing, and the lyrical phrasing seems to be forced. However, the song builds to a soaring crescendo. One of my least favorite songs on the album, but I'm sure it'll be loved by many.
"Come Clean" is an anthem to honesty and forthrightness, and is possibly the most accessible tune to the wider potential Eisley audience that hasn't heard the band before. It features the entire band, guys and all, joining in on the chorus.
"Ten Cent Blues" is a bouncy, beautiful tune with a hint of country twang (in the guitars, not the vocals). Stacy's voice has rarely sounded sweeter, even as she belittles "the other woman." ("She is cheesy/she is scrawny") This being Eisley, though, the song ends on a positive note, without bitterness or the contemplation of suicide (or murder).
"A Sight to Behold" is a powerful paen to love with a primal beat and tribal "ooooOoooOhhOhhOooooOhhhOhhs" thrown in for good measure. Producer Richard Gibbs's experience in scoring movies is evident with bursts of strings adding punch to the bridge, which leads into a final, soaring chorus that never descends from the song's dizzying heights.
"Combinations" is left with the task of bringing the listener back down to earth, and it does so with gentleness and grace. Sherri's warm vocals combine with rich instrumentation to bring it down a notch, or four, and prepare the listener for...
... the final song, "If You're Wondering," which is a lullaby complete with gentle chimes and a watchful moon. This song can best be described as "lovely" which, come to think of it, can be used to describe all of the songs on this album, from the quiet closer to the rollicking opener. This is one band, and album, that I can highly recommend to anyone, of any age or background. |
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Eisley
Submitted on: 2007-09-16 |
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| Great band, and an excellent sophomore effort. I hope Eisley's not dumping their fantastical lyrics for more commercial appeal. In any case, Combinations is one heck of an album and the band is fabulous. |
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