Posted on: October 15, 2009 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

Evaline plays a brand of emo music but their rub is something that is completely different from anything else that the mass of emo bands are doing. The arrangements present during “Postpartum Modesty” are miles beyond anything else that emo acts are typically known for. When the band starts off their EP with “La De Da”, the result is something so much more intense and full-bodied than the average emo track. The vocals which are usually given a focal point are put at a level that is equal to the rest of the instruments on “Postpartum Modesty”.

The arrangement is ordered well, but allows the band to increasingly get more chaotic when the breakdown kicks into effect. The output on “Postpartum Modesty” is solid, and each subsequent track on this EP furthers the band’s own sound instead of trying to approach all different styles of music equally. The band deftly mixes intensity with smooth compositions; Evaline know exactly what they wish to do on this EP. Each of the songs on “Postpartum Modesty” could be on radio stations; while what Evaline do is something completely unrelated to the majority of other acts on the market, I have little doubt that individuals will identify Evaline as an act that is interesting and worthy of their time. The fact that the instrumentation and the arrangement of that instrumentation is a focal point for Evaline allows for the band to craft an EP that is head and shoulders above practically any other EP released in the last few years (with the exception of perhaps the first Amber Pacific EP). Perhaps the best track on “Postpartum Modesty” has to be the title track. Just listening to the opening thirty seconds allows listeners to be buffeted by a fury that is only typically present with progressive metal, The band bounces back and forth between hyper-emotional (almost at a Morrissey level) and instrumentally intense; the two different styles meld together to create something more than these constituent parts.

This may only be an EP, but I have little doubt that Evaline will be able to capture the minds and hearts of all who listen in. The fact that this EP is fully one-half of a disc gives me hope that the band can transfer the success on this EP to something longer (an LP). Pick this album up and get the LP when it hits stores, whenever it may be.

Top Track: Postpartum Modesty

Rating: 6.5/10

Evaline – Postpartum Modesty, A Portrait of Skin / 6 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/evaline / http://www.maverick.com / Reviewed 06 August 2006

[JMcQ]

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