Sadly no Neil Buchanan to be found near this canvas…
For those who are slightly scared of acoustic work in light of Dashboard Confessional’s latest album of epic emo proportions, there is more to come. The Spill Canvas, however, are far more stylish in their presentation of angst ridden vocals.
Nick Thomas leads his new acoustic group, The Spill Canvas, on a fantastic display of what mellow, passionate music can really be with the latest offering from Mighty Atom Records: ‘Sunsets and Car Crashes’. This is a record which seems to forever change. Whilst lead in track ‘Aim Snap Fall’ is a brooding, atmospheric piece of music, it seems far too soft a song to begin an album with. A better choice would have been ‘Caterpillars’ which bounces along happily inducing smiles from all those who hear it. The addition of “proper” guitars means this song is easily one of the highlights of the album simply because it engages the mind.
Vocally, ‘The Tide’ is probably the most advanced song to be found on this album, with Nick’s youthful voice giving an unusual slant on the wisdom found in the well-crafted lyrics. After a feel-good song tinged with sadness, ‘Your Evil Soul’ seems even darker than an emo’s bedroom. At just over 5 minutes, it takes some time to rise into its emotion-packed ending. It would seem that this is where The Spill Canvas excel - their melodious moments are pleasant enough, but when a little more anger is added into the melting pot, a catchy song such as ‘Bracelets’ emerges like a butterfly from a cocoon.
After such a vivid, colourful track, ‘The Night Will Go On As Follows’ sounds even more simpering that The Spill Canvas probably intended it to be. From here, the album descends into simple guitar/lovesick teenage vocals which, although it works well if you’re a fan, will not manage to hook many new listeners in. A shame, for at their more upbeat moments, The Spill Canvas are a bright new light which cannot fail to light up the lives of some miserable English music fans- ‘Sunsets And Car Crashes’ is an album which will appeal to many people from backgrounds and musical tastes.