Artist: Say You Will
Album: Brighter
Label: N/A
Release Date: February 14, 2009
Reviewer: Scott L
Tracklist:
1. See What I See
2. Believing
3. Sky Kites
4. Surface
5. In A Lifetime
Let me start right in by saying that Say You Will is an upbeat 5-piece hailing from Tennessee that definitely knows how to play some seriously catchy power-pop-rock. While not quite as bubbly as Capital Lights or as agenda-driven as And Then There Where None, Say You Will’s five song EP, Brighter, should appeal to the same general fan base. Not to knock either of those bands, they are what they are and we love them for it, but one thing that Say You Will brings to the party that I found particularly nice was some fast and furious guitar work. The EP has everything else you would expect: passionate vocals with some balanced effects here and there, big crashing drums, groove-heavy bass, and airy keys. But the guitars… they’re all over the place. Somebody get these guys some ice packs for their fingers.
The standout track for me was “Believing.” Partly because the guitars pull you along like an energy drink for the ears and partly because it’s just a super catchy song that does a great job of showcasing this band’s talent. Truth be told, all five songs are enjoyable and never really come off as overly repetitive even on multiple, back-to-back listen throughs.
Lyrically, Brighter, is pretty innocuous. Well-written, but probably nothing that will knock you off your chair. No real spiritual emphasis, mostly love, life, loss… but in an upbeat format. Pretty typical fare for this style of music. Say You Will’s bass player, Brandon Keen, summed up the band’s ministry mindset for me like this, “As far as our spiritual views we are definitely all Christian dudes. We view our music as our ministry. We like to think that if it’s positive and uplifting then it’s glorifying to the Lord, so that’s how we treat our band. We also are firm believers in building relationships. That’s where the basis of this band comes into play. Building relationships and seeing where God takes that. We don’t preach from stage because we think it’s more important to at least know the name of the person we’re ministering to before we start to shove religious ideas down their throat. It’s all about loving people first, in our eyes. That’s what we’re all about.”
Overall, these guys have put out a great EP that’s definitely worth checking out if you’re looking for some bright (couldn’t resist) pop-oriented rock.
www.myspace.com/sayyouwillband