Search - Boy in Static :: Violet

Love this album

D. Shieh | New York, NY | 05/30/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"lyrics are thoughtful, moving, sad, but tinted with hope. music is tantalizing and unique. boy in static sounds like a hybrid between radiohead and snow patrol. melodic yet dissonant. every song sounds like a harmonic contradiction. this is definitely a new sound and worth every penny."

Repetitive but Worthwhile

Hannah Duff | Colorado, United States | 07/14/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"With the exquisite opening track, 'First Love', Alexander Chen sets the tone for his album: melancholic and wistful, but no less youthful for that. Strings, synths, and sleigh bells float in and out of earshot, forming layers around the pulsing guitar and all-but-whispered vocals. Chen manages to mingle urgency and emotion with listless detachment, and the result is both elegant and accessible .



Where this album falls short, however, is in its unwillingness to stray from that dreamy style. By the middle of the album, the listener is ready for a song that doesn't contain the lyrics "past", "forget", or "fading". There is little to no deviation from this autumnal mood, and the listening can become laborsome by the end. One begins to see just how fitting Chen's title, Boy in Static, really is.



My advice? Enjoy this album while you've got your iPod on shuffle, for a bit of variety, or when you're in a particularly nostalgic state of mind (and want to stay there). Despite its repetitiveness, 'Violet' is a haunting and evocative thing of beauty, and isn't one to be missed."