Copeland – In Motion (CD)

Copeland has come up with “In Motion”, a disc that uses tracks like “No One Really Wins” to mix the current “emo” sound with both indie and power-pop like Weezer. The nuanced strings and dreamy feel of a track like “Choose The One Who Loves You More” really allow for lead vocalist Aaron to strut a very cultured style to eir vocals. What is probably the biggest difference between “In Motion” and “Beneath Medicine Tree” has to be Copeland’s move to more of a dance-influenced sound (in the vein of Fischerspooner or The Postal Service) in the interim. Tracks like “Sleep” really show this move more than any track on the disc; hints of the New Radicals come through just like the hint of a Beatles influence come through on the falsetto tone-led “Kite”. This track has an older sound to it that really is reminiscent of Devendra Banhart and eir’s brand of retro-Americana sound, but the overall effect works better for Copeland than it could ever for Banhart. The only thing that stops “Kite” from being a successful track is the slow tempo that really distinguishes it. The tempo would work better if the band decided to cut the track off at the three minute mark, but at four minutes the track’s tendency is to drag. What comes through as one of the strongest tracks on “In Motion” has to be the nuanced yet sledgehammer-simple style; radio-friendly, Copeland is on top of their game here. This later section of “In Motion” comes to a head with the defining guitar work present on “Love Is A Fast Song”.

The ability for Copeland to move in and out of their intense mode from something resembling a very slow and planned-out sound shows a maturity of the band that many other acts simply do not have. This is a nice move towards a different form of “emo” music; what results for Copeland on “In Motion” is a move towards the indie-emo made famous by acts like Sunny Day Real Estate and Jets to Brazil. Copeland infuses this sound with an intelligent instrumentation (especially present during the strings (lap steel guitar) on “You Love To Sing”. The cultured, mature sound of “In Motion” shows a dynamism to the band that is sadly not present in other bands that are stamped with the broad term that is “emo” like Matchbook Romance and Senses Fail.

Top Tracks: You Love To Sing, Love Is A Fast Song

Rating: 6.9/10

Copeland – In Motion / 2005 The Militia Group / 10 Tracks / http://www.thecopelandsite.com / http://www.themilitiagroup.com / Reviewed 11 June 2005