Copeland - In Motion
Rating
RIYL
MaeLux Courageous
Reeve Oliver
Melee
Nada Surf
Label
The Militia GroupTracklist
1. No One Really Wins2. Choose the One Who Loves You More
3. Pin Your Wings
4. Sleep
5. Kite
6. Don't Slow Down
7. Love is a Fast Song
8. You Have My Attention
9. You Love to Sing
10. Hold Nothing Back
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A few years ago I went away to college and left some amazing friends behind. Some of them I have lost touch with while others I have stayed close with. It is always interesting to come home on break and touch base with those I haven’t seen in a long time since you never really know how the person has changed. Sometimes your old friends are completely different--almost unrecognizable. While that’s not always bad, you miss the person they were. Other times it is the same old person you knew and loved before, they have just grown up and matured. Bands are the same way. Sometimes a band will make an album that is absolutely perfect in your mind and when they come back for their next, they’re not even recognizable. Others just grow up. Copeland have grown up. They have kept the indie rock sound that brought them moderate success with their debut Beneath Medicine Tree and have over time mastered it. With their sophomore album In Motion Copeland have again jumped to the front of the indie rock pack with a disc that is vintage Copeland, yet much more mature.
In Motion is an album who’s biggest strength is its diversity. It starts out with “No One Really Wins,” a rocker that is heavier than anything the band has attempted in the past. However, the dynamics change midway and the song’s chorus gets an almost dance drum line to it, then it morphs back into the rock sound of the opening. This changing of sounds and styles is apparent throughout the disc. One case in point is the album’s third track, and single, “Pin Your Wings Down.” The song is everything you know and love (or hate depending on your view) about Copeland, and then the mood changes for “Sleep,” the album’s best track, which showcases their growth as musicians. The song starts out with a grand piano and the band’s most effective instrument, vocalist Aaron Marsh. He can do more with his tenor voice than anyone in music today. He can seamlessly navigate octaves making the music that much more dynamic. “Sleep” is so effective because of the way Marsh’s voice pieces in with the dynamics of the song. Sure there are lyrics, and he is singing, but it almost becomes an instrumental number, one that I get lost in every time I listen.
In Motion, for the most part, is a great album, but it is not without its flaws. The biggest is a song that just doesn’t fit. In fact, its not a song that would fit on anyone’s album except maybe one by Rufus Wainwright. The song is called “Kite” and it is a baroque pop song that is okay if you like that kind of stuff, but it does not belong in the middle of this album. I am usually not a big stickler for an album's flow, but this song is right after the gorgeous “Sleep” and really throws off In Motion's rhythm. The album recovers, but this song keeps it from being a truly classic effort.
Copeland, with In Motion, have solidified themselves as the leader of the indie rock movement. It is a step forward from what was an outstanding debut into territory that needed to be entered. Indie rock has been stale for a long time and Copeland is a band that can push the boundaries not only in terms of popularity but also stylistically. Now would be a good time to get on the bandwagon because before too long, it is going to be full.
--JohnnyL
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