Unwritten Law

Elva (2002)

rest_easy

Every now and again you get a band that combines different levels of music with different levels of emotion. Sometimes you get a beautiful constructive harmonic tone, and sometimes you get a destructive interference not suitable for the deaf. Both amazingly, and sadly, this album has a lot of the former and a bit of the latter. There are a majority of tracks on here that simply blow your mind. The hard guitar, the gentle vocals, and the mind-turning lyrics all form "Elva." This is their newest release since 1998.

"Elva" hits us with all sorts of styles. We have the unbelievable "Seein' Red" that I must say is reminiscent to the days of "Cailin" which was also a favorite of mine. This song has soft verses with choruses that pick it up just enough to lull you back to the next portion of the song. It flows with flawless perfection and a rhythm that will get to you. Next we have "Sound Siren" which has an upbeat flow with lyrics running the opposite way. From beginning to end this is a great song. "Rescue Me" has a harder rhythm to it that I guarantee will get you moving. Hell, by the second or third time you hear this you will probably catch yourself singing along and bobbing your head. "Up All Night" follows the same flow with a fun lyrical content. "Actress? Model?" is a song that just has no description. It?s a great song and I simply don?t know why. I would try to explain it but I?m afraid I?ll get it wrong and it deserves more justice than that. "How You Feel" is a softer song that I think will make many a mix. This song is true to life. Listen to the lyrics, you?ll agree. "It's Alright" has a beautiful slide/flanger effect with the guitar during the verses that just catches you and pulls you along. It's kinda sappy, but that's life. Life isn't just action/adventure with comedy and the occasional thriller, it's also romance with sappy love scenes that make even the strongest person fall to their knees in a fit of tears. Life is sad and happy, meaningful and meaningless, etc. Life is oxymoronic and the more people realize that, the more they begin to respect the music they hear. "Geronimo" is the softest song on the album and it's a good song, just kinda drags. Now we get into harder songs like "Babylon" which is edgy but the lyrics don?t have the same 'sense'. However, the music is still fun. "Blame it on Me" is a good song. It doesn?t have the same flow as the others but it is faster and the effort is there. "Evolution" has a reggae feel to it and is completely different from the other songs. I like it for that reason. The other songs are different, but this is another extreme. "Hellborn" is a harder song but the harmony makes it something else. Personally, I don't care for this song, will listen to it, but will also skip over it without any fear of release. "Mean Girl?"is a neat song. I can't say I love it, but it's better than "Hellborn." It seems repetitive at points but not without first giving something good to repeat. As for the other filler tracks they are nice but not needed on the track list. "Raligh Part IV", "Raligh Part V", "Raligh Part VI", and "nick and phil" are those filler few second tracks. They are neat, but shouldn't be on the tracklist to make it 17 when it's really 13.

So, all in all this is a great album, buy it when it comes out, find it before, whatever. Get it. Especially if you liked the past Unwritten law albums. The way this album flows is unreal and will get you moving. It will take a long time before you get tired of it, then you will want to listen to it again. I would have given Elva a 9 for a few tracks that weren't to my liking and the 4 filler tracks. However, barring those exceptions, the songs are so well written and so much fun to listen to that this is a 10 and I will listen to this album until I die and hope you do too.