If you can picture yourself in an underwater utopia three-hundred years into the future, listening to a band whose beautiful synth textures float seamlessly among scratching guitars reminiscent of Alternative Rock-legends U2, which are complemented by hard drums and strong vocals that could be compared to those of Linkin Park, then you're probably crazy. Either that, or you're picturing Test Your Reflex, an indie band hailing from Southern California. Or maybe both. Regardless of the state of your mental health, TYR will still be rocking hard and writing awesome tunes as they tour with fellow indie rockers Electric Six, whose impressive debut album "Fire" will be reviewed someday soon. Test Your Reflex's debut album "The Burning Hour" will be released to the public on April 24th, 2007. Recently I got a hold of an advance copy from a friend and I can tell you it won't be one to miss.
The album sets sail with the opener "I'm Not Sorry", an uplifting behemoth of a ballad that may be mistaken for, you guessed it, U2. But the album is far from a snore-fest; actually, it's quite the opposite. The next song (and lead single) "Pieces of the Sun" is among the best, and one of the most accessible. You can find it on iTunes as the Single of the Week. With its heavy drum beat and self-reflection style lyrics "Every little thing I promised you, I'll make it come true, I'm not ready to stop...", it makes a great radio tune. In fact, the whole album is filled with Alt-Emo-New Ave, Punk, Pop-masterpieces, my favorites being the extremely catchy "New Year" and the dance-tastic classic "Black Hearts". If this band's incredible debut is under looked like Rock Kills Kid before them, then all music listeners will be missing out on a band that's not ready to let hip-hop dominate the airwaves.
Am I torturing you with the near-accurate description of their unique sound? Fear not, friends! You may have to wait until April 24th to hear the album in its entirety, but if you're really itching for a taste of TYR, I'd like it (and I'm sure they would like it as well) if you'd
check out their Myspace. Close your eyes and find yourself immersed in water, losing all ties with reality.
--Ryan
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