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as tall as lions
album review


by jon bosworth    jaxvillain@yahoo.com


Artist: As Tall As Lions

Title: self titled

Release Date: 08.26.06

Label: Triple Crown Records

      Laying a thick background of a drum and bass rythym section reminiscent of a half-hearted Radiohead, complete with melodramatic Thom Yorke-ish vocals, As Tall As Lions wants badly to rest between the crooning emo softcore of Jimmy Eat World and the sublime understatement of Radiohead, with dashes of Interpol and Coldplay inserted for certain success but in the end this self-titled album comes across as self-absorbed and uninspired.

      Although the piano is the standout instrument on the record, the songs are composed in too tired terms to really stand strong on the keys. Instead, we get concepts as old as the shoegazer trend and breaks that became rote with Sunny Day Real Estate. This well-produced record is completely void of soul or originality.

      Taking a popular composition structure from Radiohead (ie. ‘How to Completely Dissappear’ off of Kid A or ‘Sail to the Moon’ off of Hail to the Thief) and implementing that in the writing of every song on a single album makes for a droll and lifeless listen. Even the songs lauded by Alternative Press and Boston Phoenix (one of which is actually called ‘Ghosts of York’) are tepid songs that float through the speakers unnoticed and try to call attention to themselves with the cheap theatrics of over-dramatized vocals.

      In listening to As Tall As Lions, I found myself searching through and rediscovering many of my favorite albums of five and seven years ago. If rediscovering old Radiohead albums doesn’t sound interesting to you, this album will also probably not interest you, but if you’ve burned your ear out on Radiohead and you can’t find any Elliot albums around to curb your hunger, As Tall As Lions just might suffice. You can pick up a copy at their show.


As Tall as Lions will be performing at Freebird Live on April 13.

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