Artist: Copeland
Album: You Are My Sunshine
Label: Tooth and Nail
Release Date: 10/14/2008
Reviewer: Tyler Hess
Some artists are so good at what they do that I just have to appreciate them, even if it isn’t the type of music I’d generally listen to. I don’t listen to metalcore, but I can’t help but get hooked in by Underoath. I don’t even know much about post hardcore, but if you don’t like Blindside then I think you should deeply reconsider what you’re doing with your life. Copeland’s piano alt-pop is not something that I generally dig through the piles of music circuiting the world to find, yet they do it so well that I’m not sure what I ever did without it.
Copeland has gone through a lot of changes lately, including switching to a new label and having some lineup changes, but if this album is any indication of the future for this band, well, its looking good for them.
If you aren’t sure what you’re hearing when listening to these tunes, it may be because lead singer Aaron Marsh uses a variety of instruments that include a mellotron (look it up on wiki or something, its cool) and an organ, which you probably don’t see at a whole lot of the shows you go to or hear on a lot of the albums you buy. The reason why I bring this up is that these elements are just part of who Copeland is, bringing this well orchestrated set of melodies that just put me in such a nice, relaxed mode. This isn’t music for getting me pumped up, these are songs that take all that aggression out, perhaps after a long day of work or whatever can stress me out.
If you are looking for spirituality, well, you could probably dig some out for yourself, and maybe relate to the lyrics, but don’t count on directly overt messages regarding the Christian faith. Copeland does have Christian band members, but are generally more focused on making good art than presenting beliefs on a stage.
Although this album is smooth in its transitions from one song to the next, not really going out too far on one limb over another, if I had to direct you to one song that peaks my interest every time I listen, it would have to be “The Day I Lost My Voice (The Suitcase Song)”, as I’m sure many of us can relate to lyrics like “I’ve got my life in a suitcase. I’m ready to run away. I’ve got no time ‘cause I’m always trying to run away. ‘Cause everyday in here feels like it’s only a game. I’ve got my life in a suitcase.”
Sometimes life is hard. Sometimes we all just need to chill out. Sometimes we need some sunshine in our lives. This is a pretty good start.
9/10
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