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Inner Beauty
Contest: The Better to See Them With
From its strong opening and straight through to the end, Inner Beauty Contests latest EP release, The Better to See Them With, is a fantastic listen and a hopeful glimpse at what else this band might produce. The clean, mellow rock sound will appeal to anyone who appreciates the easy, heartfelt sounds of bands like Pinback and Death Cab for Cutie. The opening track, RSVP hits quickly with thick guitars and minimalist vocals, and its apparent that this is only the warm-up. Inner Beauty Contest has a great ear for composition and layering their music. This is the quality that will set them apart most from other bands of this popular genre. One of the highlight tracks, Petals for Answers, is marked by lilting and repetitive guitars, with the end effect of a calming, melancholy ballad upon which to display the poetic lyrics. Like falling into a trance, you drift away with the lovely vocals. But the entire EP offers a variety of styles, from harder rock to the sweet love song, and all of it is done well. Although this is a great release, its not without its difficulties. If theres anything that I would critique, it would be use of the saxophone. There are many great examples of untraditional instruments being used in rock bands, but this is not one of them. In this case, its droning sound only pulls down the songs like a dragging anchor. Fortunately, its rare appearances dont distract from the obvious potential of Inner Beauty Contest. If you are looking for something new in the realm of the pop/indie culture, this would be a fantastic addition to any collection. Inner Beauty Contest has released a great EP and they offer hope of better things in the future.
Inner Beauty Contest Official Website Check Amazon, Insound and CD Universe to purchase this album.
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