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The Realm
Appearance Lied Again
by Corey Feldman
Combining
elements of hard rock, funk, jam, reggae, and pop, The Realm
embark on unique and often enjoyable musical territory on
their self-released second album. Even when you hear a song
you don't particularly like, the next one is likely to hit
a vibe twice or three times as good. |
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| I found myself enveloped by the more intense
instrumental moments on the album, where guitarists Woody Kneeland
and Mark Knight jam off one another with graceful subtlety.
The guitars, often filtered by some tremolo and delay effects,
give many of the songs a surfing-under-a-Pacific-sunset feel.
The rhythm is solid and driving; bassist Matt Stedman always
finds the right groove for each of the songs' various genres,
and some of his licks fill intricate, complicated rhythmic niches
in certain songs. Kneeland, who also sings, has a raspy, pressing
voice that somehow fits with the sound of the rest of the band,
although a few points throughout the album had me feeling the
strain on his throat. Lyrically, this album reads like a piece
of intense, self-actualizing prose. The lyrics don't always
fit musically with the songs, but the themes are worthy of a
good read. As the title implies, Appearance Lied Again deals
with the more perplexing aspects of life, love and identity.
These themes can come off as cliche in a chorus from time to
time, but the band has enough fresh musical ideas to keep the
album afloat. |
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