ARTiST: Grand Atlantic
ALBUM: How We Survive
BiTRATE: 197kbps avg
QUALiTY: EAC Secure Mode / LAME 3.97 Final / -V2 --vbr-new / 44.100Khz
LABEL: Grand Atlantic
GENRE: Rock
SiZE: 60.42 megs
PLAYTiME: 0h 40min 04sec total
RiP DATE: 2009-10-03
STORE DATE: 2009-07-04
Track List:
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01. Coast is Clear 3:18
02. Tripwires 3:17
03. She's a Dreamer 3:35
04. Freeway 3:57
05. How We Survive 4:50
06. Used to be the Sensitive Type 3:25
07. Just Another Ghost Town 4:18
08. Hit n Run / So Cold 3:57
09. Holding Pattern 2:58
10. These Are the Times 4:07
11. Don't Say Goodnight 2:22
Release Notes:
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The way ôBrisbaneÆs favorite power-pop bandö Grand Atlantic survive is by
writing catchy songs. This is the excellent album Oasis should have done after
WhatÆs the Story Morning Glory but didnÆt. True to their name, Grand Atlantic go
after big, towering hooks. They know that hit songs are simple, and they keep
them that way û this is the kind of album youÆll be humming despite yourself
after youÆve heard it once. As terse as the writing is, the production has a
massive, big-room 90s feel, with a ton of guitar overdubs ringing, pinging,
clanging and crashing in their allotted spaces. What hits you right off the bat
is how smartly and tastefully this has been assembled.
The album gets going with Coast Is Clear, a midtempo, harmony-driven escape
anthem which sets the tone for the rest of the cd. Tripwires introduces the
bandÆs other specialty, crunchy riff-rock, here spiced with some clever retro
80s synth patches. The big hit here, obviously, is SheÆs a Dreamer, which could
be Oasis but thankfully without the coked-out poser attitude and all those
pilfered Beatles licks (you can hear it right now on their myspace). The upbeat
post-Oasis vibe continues on Freeway and its tasty layers of guitar.
The title track, interestingly enough, goes back in time another twenty years
for a sort of Badfinger ballad feel. After that, the Rickenbackers kick in with
some tasty jangle and clang on the sarcastic sha-la-la power-pop number Used to
Be the Sensitive Type. ThereÆs also a satisfying, electric piano-flavored dis of
a gold-digging woman, a garage rock number, and the pensive anthem These Are the
Times, a feast of textures with the Rickenbacker adding gorgeously echoey
accents above the roar. Finally, on the last song, there are some Beatles
echoes, specifically, LennonÆs Imagine. Otherwise, this is great driving music,
great loud party music and something that could easily take off internationally.
Keep your eyes on Grand Atlantic whether youÆre in the antipodes or somewhere
north of there.