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Feel Good Album of Early Summer: The Rocket Summer’s Life Will Write the Words
by Charissa Lock
Something you must know about The Rocket Summer. The beautiful vocals of Bryce Avary do not just stay at vocals, nor songwriting, nor guitar, nor drums, nor piano, nor production…okay you get the point. Avary does everything. He is the sole creator of everything he’s done and help only comes when recording and touring. This is someone who is beyond talented. With this information in mind, I now present to you The Rocket Summer’s fifth studio album Life Will Write The Words.
The latest album comes off a bit more heavy in the sense of structure, composition, and at times sound, than past albums. Before there were bits and pieces of completeness, professionalism and experience, but on Life Will Write the Words you get it combined together. With most songs being Carlton-dance worthy of an upbeat nature (even when they begin mellow like “Scrapbook”) it becomes undoubtedly perfect for summer. We hear albums that are upbeat and you want to stamp “Summer” on them, but they can’t hold their place because they end up being stagnant. This is where The Rocket Summer takes a giant leap into your iPod by implementing a thick foundation of talent and skill in the music world of “blah.” Jack’s Mannequin-esque piano melodies, suspenseful transitions, frequent and pleasant play with vocals compile onto the already presented reason for success.
My worries with The Rocket Summer are channeled mostly with earlier albums, but a few moments on Life Will Write the Words present a sigh. I sometimes get this wave of nausea as I slip into the world where I was 12 and thought Christian Rock was really cool because my parents would not allow me to listen to anything else (we can all be thankful that changed). I freeze when Avary drops the “L” or “J” word or choir background vocals sing “Halleluiah,” and I quickly question what year it is and whether I like it because it’s pretty fantastic or because my parents are making me listen to it. This only takes about a half a millisecond and then I snap back to reality when there’s a wonderful transition, or guitar riff, etc. etc. This reminds me that I’m not listening to Christian Rock, but have to ignore these little moments of uncomfortable nature and think about the greater good.
The greater good is “Circa 46” Absolutely it is my favorite track with the beautiful composition, jazz snapping, whistling (seriously), and Avary’s sultry falsetto. There are so many splendid moments going on, contained beginning, drum build-up continuing to keep things small, to the guitar appearance that breaks the song out of its shell and before you know it you are sent to another level you didn’t expect. Transitions like this give me the confidence to boast about this albums greatness.
Every track has something special about it that continue to give the approval that this album should be blasting in your car on the way to the beach, and through your speakers while you lay outside or in your air conditioned bedroom. Bryce Avary is most certainly one of those ‘musical geniuses’ that are far and few between who can only be recognized to the level he deserves with continued awareness. So I’m making you aware. The Rocket Summer’s Life Will Write the Words is fun, catchy pop that is essential to the beginning of your summer of 2012 and we have only Bryce Avary to thank for that.
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TAGS: A Turtle Winter, Surprising Pop Punk goodness, End of the tail?, Still hate the Beatles, talented musician