Elemae - Popular Misconceptions of Happiness
Popular Misconceptions of Happiness. Ironic name seeing as how this album is full of misconceptions.
Misconception 1:
Billed by their record label as an emo band, they are being compared to the likes of Jimmy Eat World. However, Elemae sound nothing like Jimmy Eat World, there are definitely no songs here that even imitate the likes of the catchy, 'Salt, Sweat, Sugar'.
Misconception 2
The only emo sounding element of this album is the name. For a band that have been together for over five years, (and look like it) it seems almost as if their record label has pushed them into this genre, forcing them to jump on the emo bandwagon that is so popular with the kids these days.
Elemae sound more like the likes of Everclear; very American sounding, feel good rock music. The overall hazy sound of this album make it a great summer soundtrack, although it functions better as background music, rather than something you would have blasting out of your car stereo. I reckon that I have nailed on the head exactly what type of band Elemae are; something you would hear in the background to an American teen drama like Buffy or Dawson's Creek. This is the exact problem with it; these shows are now dead in the water. Elemae sound out of date, they do not bring anything new or original to the table, there is nothing that would make them stand out as anything different from hundreds of other similar bands.
Unfortunately it gets worse before it gets better.
Misconception 3
The band's record company claim this album has been, "recorded/mixed/produced by the band themselves". I don't want to sound too harsh because any band prepared to put in that much work deserve points for effort, but this should not be marketed as a good thing. When they say the band produced the album themselves, you can definitely tell. The over all sound is very rough around the edges, and the vocals are often hit and miss.
I have to say it's not all bad though. The stand out track on this album is 'Soulsweeper', a dreamy, melodic ballad with electrifying guitar solos. The first track 'Sleeping with Adrenaline' also stands out and for some reason reminded me of The Cult. This song has already appeared on a number of compilations. The rest of the album is fairly nondescript, that's not to say it is bad, it is just not particularly astounding either. The album does get more exciting again towards the end, the last few tracks attempt to pick up the pace again. If you like inoffensive, pleasant, sunny rock music then this is an album for you.
Popular Misconceptions of Happiness is available from May through Engineer Records.