Post Paradise Track By Track Review
Posted: by Sean Gonzalez
Post-Paradise is a cello driven alternative rock band from Fort Collins, Colorado. They play emotionally driven rock that is pulsed by dramatic musical compositions. Their new EP, Bring It To Life (Side A), features six awesome songs, and I’m here to walk you through each song, highlighting just what it is that makes this band so unique. Stream it while I walk you through it.
1. Generator: What makes this song so fun is the eerie atmosphere. This is an extremely dark track that really opens up the doors for what this band has to offer sonically. The cello weeps in the background alongside guitar chords and synced up drums. The vocals are soft but catchy in the way they are delivered. It’s a very melancholy approach accented by wandering and vibrant instrumentals.
2. Ordinary: This was the first track I ever heard from the band and I think it is the one that best captures the band’s sound. It’s upbeat and groovy as hell, featuring wonderfully timed stop and go guitar progressions that just force you to nod your head along. The drums are tenacious, giving the whole track an urgent and great vibe. The cello really plays along by skating alongside the chords in just as quick and abrasive of a manner as the rest of the band. Also, listen closely to that fucking awesome bass line that bellows beneath the instruments. This song ends tastefully as well with an explosion of energy.
3. Four Years: This song is composed more like a soft rock ballad, and it’s a nice change of pace from the first two songs. This song sounds lighter and full of joy. My favorite part of the track is the snare drum constantly rolling about in the pre-chorus. The half time bridge was a clever touch as well, really showcasing how inventive the group is in song structure. They make sure the parts are delivered slightly different each time to keep things fresh.
4. The River: I snickered at how dark the opening melody is, snicker might be a bad word to use. Shit, ugh, how do I put it? What I mean is I had an evil grin listening to this track, the entire time. The song is exceedingly ominous and could score along side a short horror flick. What’s even better is the lyrical content discusses quite a dark story. This song has the feel of that cool, long haired-dude in a leather jacket with a burning cigarette in his mouth. The vocals are a little drowned in out by the rest of the instruments, but I think it’s just the mixing, it kind of adds to the haunting presence anyways.
5. All There Is: This song sounds like a combination of tracks 2 and 4 here. It’s a ballad of some sort with this dark minor key sound. The stripped down guitars in the beginning work well here instead of constantly bashing your ear with the power chords the entire time. Instead the guitar plucks are winding around a soft cello melody that mimics the vocal melody. The pause at the end as the words “I’ll sing it all for you” are delivered reminds me of the way Max Bemis always has to be dramatic in his delivery, which is awesome.
6. Flux Errant: This is exactly the song I wanted to hear. This instrumental weaves a sinister piano melody with a graceful cello melody and the outcome is tremendous.
You can pick up the EP on iTunes or wherever it is you purchase music from.
