Quite Simply Bliss
Gracer don't really sound like any one band making waves on the music scene of late. With a big atmospheric rock creating a soundscape that flows out of the stereo, the New York trio appear to be following in the footsteps of U2 and Coldplay. Unbelievably though there is more to them than just this as an emo essence resides in every lyric, seeping out of each song. But Gracer don't fit the current emo mould either. Oh no, these guys grip tightly to the mid - 90s, a time when emo was purely a name given to a genre of music unlike the bad haircuts and depressing Livejournal blogs emo of now which has seen fashion and style dictating the music, not the other way round.
With two genres merging and acoustically driven numbers thrown in just for the fun of it, you'd expect 'Voices Travel' to be a mangled mess of conflicting musical styles but Gracer have instead created an album that is lyrically beautiful, emotionally charged and full of vigour and oomph that makes it compellingly irresistible.
Starting with the simple jingle of a guitar riff, 'Emily Taylor' builds into an atmospheric rock marvel with choruses that escalate into huge vocal outbursts that demand to be sung along to at the top of your voice. Indeed lead singer Ryan Mahon is a vocal power house, able to let the lyrics erupt from deep within and yet also able to express every ounce of emotion through subtle, understated verses that convey so much more. It is on tracks such as 'Esperanza' where Mahon's vocal are able to meld with the energetically forceful music of Gracer.
'Esperanza' is such a huge song that you actually start to question whether the New Yorkers are just a three piece as the highly charged music they create sounds as if it belongs to a much larger group of musicians. From this though Gracer can then move to the sombre melancholic acoustics of 'Hands'. Mesmerisingly beautiful, 'Hands' is the complete opposite to the other commandingly stimulating numbers on 'Voices Travel' with the uncomplicated purity of an acoustic guitar, mournful piano and pain drenched vocals. Quite simply bliss.
As if to prove they don't need big production numbers, Gracer opt for the straight forward ease of the piano led 'Nowhere', letting vocal harmonies weave and intertwine backed only by a gentle drum beat. Stripped to the bare essentials, 'Nowhere' is again deceiving with delicate bittersweet melodies enabling Gracer to give the track a sense of intensity and an edge than many other bands would be hard pressed to match.
From atmospheric rock to emo beleaguered lyrics to acoustic paradise, Gracer is able to step forward and deliver it all on 'Voices Travel', proving that music doesn't have to conform to style and certainly doesn't have to be pigeonholed.