The Lift – It Is What It Is / 2007 Little Red / 10 Tracks / http://www.theliftstation.com / http://www.myspace.com/thelift / Reviewed 21 June 2007
The Lift do not start off their “It Is What It Is†with the most interesting of starts. The band themselves are catchy on their own, but there seems to be too much of a U2 influence early. This hinders the band from crafting their own sound right from the get go. However, this is not a major deal, and a song like “Wired†does well to bring a slightly different sound to the fore. The band plays the same light style of rock that has been tied to acts like later Red Hot Chili Peppers, Snow Patrol, and Coldplay. The resulting sound of tracks like “Wired†is something that is very groomed for radio stations, but does not seem to push the envelope in any serious way.
The only things that seem to shine during this track are the emotive vocals and how those vocals link together with the thick, ropy bass lines that are present during the track. “Warmth†is the first track that seems to break free The Lift from the rut that they have been in since the first track of the disc. The much slower tempo of “Warmth†may not be the track that rockets furthest up the Billboard chart, but it allows the act to add a number of layers to the instrumentation present on the track. This allows the band themselves to shine in a way that they had not previously been able to do. Still, there does not seem to be the connection needed by The Lift to really be noticed in the eyes, ears, and hearts of individuals listening in.
The tracks are good, but there is nothing that distinguishes them from the entirety of artists that are also out on the market attempting to do the same exact thing. “Mask†shows The Lift as an act that is similar to Tonic. Both bands would definitely be able to string together a number of listenable tracks on their respective albums, but there is one track that seems to break free from the rest of the pack and shine brightly. It is the bipolarity of “Mask†that distinguishes it from the rest of the tracks on “It Is What It Isâ€. If the band could add something to their output that would distinguish them from the rest of the acts on the market, The Lift would be easily the bigger bands of a later year.
Top Tracks: Mask, Static
Rating: 4.5/10