ARTIST: Search/Rescue
TITLE: The Compound
LABEL: Unsigned
GENRE: Rock
BITRATE: 204kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 35m total
RELEASE DATE: 2008-00-00
RIP DATE: 2008-05-19
Track List
----------
1. Fireflies 3:08
2. Museum 3:33
3. Holding On 3:34
4. Right Through Me 3:48
5. Where Sea Meets Sky 3:41
6. Waking 3:54
7. Great Big War 3:40
8. This Is For You 3:47
9. The Shame 3:17
10. 94 3:37
Release Notes:
I honestly canÆt comprehend the pressure Search/Rescue must feel. Fans of these
dudesÆ former bands are a rabid bunch. They're always quick to regale others
with a retelling of the Acceptance Major Label Tragedy, or to debate GatsbyÆs
American DreamÆs obvious superiority over Forgive Durden. ôFuck the haters,ö
they cry, ôwe were down with this shit before you could read!ö IÆll let these
people be, though. Faithful fans are good for music. Faithful fans are great for
bands. Faithful fans are terrible for dudes trying to start anew. You see, this
isnÆt a review for Search/Rescue; itÆs a review for Search/Rescue (ex-GAD and
ex-Acceptance). One misstep, just one lackluster ballad, and fanboys are back to
the old stuff that was ôsoooooooooo much better than anything this band will
ever create.ö I know the ordeal all too well. Your mind wants to separate past
from present, but your heart will never forget unhooking a bra with ôDifferentö
playing in the background. For Search/RescueÆs sake, suck it up and move on.
The Compound looks and seems complex. At its core, though, The Compound is a
mid-tempo pop record using a mixture of AcceptanceÆs moodiness and GatsbyÆs
quirkiness. Both bands had a way of elevating themselves above conventional
scene-pop music, but Search/Rescue sound much more normal. (Remember, normal is
not a synonym for God-awful.) ôFirefliesö and ôMuseumsö may feature the same olÆ
soft verse to loud chorus structure, but Ryan Van WieringenÆs affecting voice
oozes maturity. Oozes like a stuffed nose. Oozes like a Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles movie. He sings, ôHow long before I explode / How long ætil I say what I
mean / Will it even change a thing?ö over nothing more than far-off piano notes
in ôHolding On,ö and we hear a band of grown-ups. The lyrics are definitely
worthy on The Compound as Van Wieringen brings emotion without cheese.
Search/RescueÆs guitar-rock format with piano accents, like I said, isnÆt new.
ItÆs the intelligence and imagery that keeps The Compound sounding fresh.
This was one of those records that did nothing for me upon first listen(s).
Well, I take that back. I kept listening because I felt a connection could be
formed with just a smidge of effort. ôWhere Sea Meets Skyö was the reward for my
efforts. Light synthesizers, piano and ringing guitars aid Van Wieringen as he
looks for his place in this world. The picture being painted is lonely: ôThese
empty streets I walk on / The city sleeps but IÆm awake / And I canÆt get my
head around this place.ö This song, for me, embodies The Compound. The world is
changing around us constantly. Nothing is permanent. How do we grab hold? How do
we find ourselves when everyone is lost? Van WieringenÆs answers were
Search/Rescue and a love for natureÆs astonishing beauty.
The albumÆs crystal clear production and sparse use of electronics brings songs
like ôThe Shameö and ô94ö to radio-rock status. Is that the smell of a big
break? Instruments cut out for climaxes that mean something, guitars follow
similar paths only to break off from each other, and Van Wieringen leads the
show with poise and pitch. In this case, dudes trying to start anew are great
for faithful fans.
Recommended If You Like: Acceptance, a huskier version of Mae's The Everglow,
evergreen trees, Gatsby's American Dream, gurgling creeks