An Angle

...And Take It With A Grain Of Salt (2004)

hstisgod

Weeping through the blue grass of rockabilly always sits An Angle. This Angle, however, seems a bit different as it portrays an emo feel. Delivered November 9th, 2004, And Take It With A Grain Of Salt, which was recorded just under two years ago, is just about the epitome of emo. From one song to the next, the up and down emotional feelings bounce like the moods of a bi-polar human. But before all the Brand New and Juliana Theory fans flock to their local Mom and Pop, do make sure you're in the market for deep folk and lyrical content. Soaked in overanalyzation, long-winded vocal admissions, and simple one chord efforts, this project certainly fits the odd mold Drive-Thru Records has made for itself over the past few years.

Tracks one through five are the garden variety man with his thoughts, 'geetar' and voice. But with track six, "Off to School," comes the unprecedented branding of folk emo. Although this may not be the only existing version of folk emo, it may be the only entertaining recent version. Wrapped in electric guitar, this form of folk won't seem so foreign to those aforementioned stereotypical fans (teens). Track seven "Did You, Did You, Did You" welcomes in the progressive harmonics and blending of a male-female vocal combination. Track eight, "Flicker Of A Cigarette," contends more instrumental contributions. The musicianship seems to mature as the album's length grows, and the overall moxy of the effort becomes more confident. For instance, "There is a Ship, Let's Sail" introduces the sweet, soulful addition of a flat horn. Forget all the bouncing ska bands and their horn contributions, this introduction of brass enhances the atmospheric blankness.

Beautifully cracked and impressively amateur is this voice of one Kris Anaya who seems to be the ringleader on an album that includes the performance of at least 15 different instruments. Although grainy odd studio releases seem to have been the hype of 2004, accordions, mandolins, and keyboards are just some of the hardly used instrumental additions making this project one of a kind.