Search - Eisley :: Combinations With Bonus DVD (Limited Edition)

There's a bonus DVD, too...

Methuselah | San Francisco Bay Area, CA | 09/26/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'll begin by reviewing the bonus DVD, since no one's mentioned it yet. The bonus DVD includes a "making of" video, the "Memories" video, and live concert footage (8 tracks). The "making of" video consists of snippets from the recording sessions in Richard Gibbs' studio. You get to see the band in some unguarded moments, and get to hear their voices totally raw without any embellishment. Interesting, possibly inspirational for die-hard fans, but nothing earth-shattering. Funny that they spelled Chautelle's name wrong in the band introduction section ("Chantel").



The "Memories" video is the same one that's been out since "Room Noises." It's got some pretty cool, whimsical CGI, which adds to the emotional punch of the song. For those--like myself--who've only seen the video on Youtube, it's nice to have it in a higher quality format; however the aged-film effect takes away some of the sparkle.



The 8 live video tracks are from a performance at the Ventura Theater. The quality is pretty good, with multiple cameras used and decent sound quality. The songs are mostly from "Room Noises," but also include "Mr. Pine," "Head Against the Sky," and "Like the Actors." "Like the Actors" is a gem of a song which I had not heard before, and is one of my favorites from this CD-DVD combo. I had heard "Mr. Pine" before; it's a song that lyrically is more "Room Noises," but seems musically closer to "Combinations." "Head Against the Sky" is a more convetional pop-rock song, and to me it lacks some of the Eisley magic. The live concert footage ends with a version of Trolleywood in which members of the opening acts join in on keyboards, guitar and tambourines and, shockingly, don't totally screw up the song.



All in all, the bonus DVD is well worth the additional bucks, though I do prefer the yellow artwork of the regular CD over the blue of the Limited Edition.



The Combinations CD is a strong, if short, collection of songs. "Many Funerals" is a powerful opener that, 45 seconds in, serves notice that we're not in "Room Noises" any more. Singing "Break, break down..." over an aural frenzy establishes the DuPrees' new, crunchier sound. Transitioning to such a new sound could easily come off as contrived and calculated, but Eisley seems to have pulled it off, making it sound like a natural evolution of their style.



The next songs; "Invasion," "Taking Control," and "Go Away" continue in that vein, though the crunch has been turned down a few degrees. These three songs will all grab you with their strong hooks, invade your brain, take control of your "hum-o-thalmus," and will simply refuse to go away.



The next song, "I Could Be There For You," opens with uncharacteristically timid singing, and the lyrical phrasing seems to be forced. However, the song builds to a soaring crescendo. One of my least favorite songs on the album, but I'm sure it'll be loved by many.



"Come Clean" is an anthem to honesty and forthrightness, and is possibly the most accessible tune to the wider potential Eisley audience that hasn't heard the band before. It features the entire band, guys and all, joining in on the chorus.



"Ten Cent Blues" is a bouncy, beautiful tune with a hint of country twang (in the guitars, not the vocals). Stacy's voice has rarely sounded sweeter, even as she belittles "the other woman." ("She is cheesy/she is scrawny") This being Eisley, though, the song ends on a positive note, without bitterness or the contemplation of suicide (or murder).



"A Sight to Behold" is a powerful paen to love with a primal beat and tribal "ooooOoooOhhOhhOooooOhhhOhhs" thrown in for good measure. Producer Richard Gibbs's experience in scoring movies is evident with bursts of strings adding punch to the bridge, which leads into a final, soaring chorus that never descends from the song's dizzying heights.



"Combinations" is left with the task of bringing the listener back down to earth, and it does so with gentleness and grace. Sherri's warm vocals combine with rich instrumentation to bring it down a notch, or four, and prepare the listener for...



... the final song, "If You're Wondering," which is a lullaby complete with gentle chimes and a watchful moon. This song can best be described as "lovely" which, come to think of it, can be used to describe all of the songs on this album, from the quiet closer to the rollicking opener. This is one band, and album, that I can highly recommend to anyone, of any age or background."

Fairy Pop No More - Eisley's All Grown Up

An Eisley Fan | California | 08/14/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

""I glimpsed a bat with butterfly wings, oh, marvelous things"?

Hmm...not so much.

Indie-pop band Eisley (made up of siblings Stacy DuPree, Chauntelle DuPree, Weston DuPree, and Sherri DuPree-Gilbert and their cousin Garron DuPree) from Tyler, Texas, isn't writing about make belive anymore. It's a little sad for someone who loved their first CD "Room Noises" as much as I did. However, "Combinations", though much, much different, is still one of my favorite CD's of all time.

It starts out strong with "Many Funerals", which has a much harder rock sound than anything heard from Eisley since "Over the Mountains" from their "Laughing City EP". For those of us who've heard songs from back when Eisley was young (songs like "Pretender", "Dream for Me", and "Blackened Crown"), it's not such a surprise. Overall, it's a strong track which really sets the tone for the rest of the record.

Next is the first single from the album, "Invasion". Based on the novel "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", it has some of that previous Eisley fantasy attached, but is still so different. The best parts are the keyboards at the beginning and Stacy's bridge part, "And they will tray to make us forget ourselves/One by one/One by one/Call me crazy but they are after us/One by one/One by one".

"Taking Control" is third. At first, I wasn't too fond of this cut, but after listening to it more, it's kind of grown on me. The chorus is very catchy.

Up next are twin tracks "Go Away" and "I Could Be There For You". I say that they're twins because they go together. Once you listen to them, you'll understand. "Go Away" is definitley one of my favorite tracks on the whole album. The back-and-forth "I am holding you"s are just magical, and the instruments really seem to blend on this tune in particular. Like "Taking Control", "I Could Be There For You" has taken a while to grow on me. My favorite part is hearing Chauntelle singing on the bridge ("You'll never contemplate that I am near/And help goes unseen/You're the cave, admitting whom you choose/And I could be there for you"). I still can't understand why she's nervous about singing. She's just as good as her sisters! Hopefully we'll hear more of Chauntelle on future records.

"Come Clean" is another of my favorites. From the strumming ukelele in the beginning to the ENTIRE band (boys included) singing the chorus at the end, it's a charming little tune that's guarenteed to get stuck in your head.

The country-tinged "Ten Cent Blues" again shows the versatility of the band and goes back to old-school Eisley's story-songs like "One Day I Slowly Floated Away". The guitars are the real focus of this song, and Sherri and Chauntelle do a really good job.

"A Sight To Behold" is probably my least favorite cut, probably because it's just too tough for my tastes. Sherri and Stacy also sound a bit too polished and pretty for the tune. The fancy harmonies just don't fit in my opinion.

The title track is most likely my favorite song out of this album, and maybe my favorite Eisley song. The marxophone, I think it is, that starts the tune adds to the mystique of the verses and enhances the piano on the chorus (I went for dso long and I was so wrong/And then I met you/And now I can't live without you/And I don't want to/I've done that all my life up til now), sung beautifully by the sisters. I can't decide if Chauntelle sings the bridge on this one or not, but whoever does sounds lovely.

The closer, "If You're Wondering", is like a music box lullaby - lovely, swirling vocals entwined with tinkling little instruments. If nothing else on this album is worthwhile, this song would make it worthwhile. It's haunting, almost, but in a beautiful way. The gentle sound of rain falling closes the song and the album.

All in all, "Combinations" is a new kind of sound from Eisley, but it keeps all the beauty and talent from previous recordings and increases it.

Top Tracks: "Invasion", "Go Away", "Come Clean", "Combinations", and, if nothing else, "If You're Wondering"."