Cabin Color’s latest release, Goodbye From This Side of the Universe, blends a little ’90s grunge, some synth-driven portions, a blast of Flaming Lips quirkiness and some very thoughtful progressions, textures and changes in dynamics. The album contains a wide variety of flavors and the production makes for a big and full sound.
The very interesting 11-track release moves from bouncy, booming dance to gentle piano to pop-punk influence, winding in and out of psychedelic and hard rock.
I have to applaud the band’s use of silence. I enjoy the occasional full-throttle album that keeps it on 11 throughout, but Cabin Color’s peaks and valleys, sudden color changes and dynamic variations really give the band some character.
“Escape” is wonderfully powerful at its climax. The brief song packs quite a journey into only three minutes. After a spacey intro (EBow, I believe . . . ?) and a piano-driven first verse, the song builds; the band then pulls the rug out from under the listener and kicks into an awesome climactic crash, as if the escape the song references involves cruising through space at warp speed, a rapid descent on a roller coaster, or something of an equally exhilarating nature. This one leads me to believe there may be a bit of a Flaming Lips influence, perhaps, and also contains a strong vocal performance.
Then all of a sudden the song zips up and it’s over.
This leads into another track with a riff that’s along the lines of something Blink 182 may have played.
“Universe” displays an intriguing progression and vibe as well as some cool backup vocal work. The big harmonies sound really good.
Another wonderful color change occurs in “Up Here” when it drastically drops from its intense, fuzzy and wild rocking portion into a wide open and peaceful clearing: You make it better, without even trying.
“Over It” has another great vocal performance from Evan Price and a noteworthy buildup, as he starts in an almost spoken, aggressive kind of way, then shows off some range and power in this one that just may have the listener enthusiastically singing along to Please leave a message after the beep / I’m sorry sir, but you don’t have the receipt / Your time is up, pencils down / It makes you feel like screaming without making a sound.
Cabin Color keeps the lyrics fairly interesting and engaging throughout. Find a way out of here / Fall into a space that’s much more clear / Calling take my hand / And I’ll lead you to the promised land / Free our minds from the grip of reality / Washing away the troubles with the clarity (“Escape”).
As far as drawbacks, sometimes the vocals alone in space don’t exactly work for me. While “Goodness Like You” is a pretty tune, this gentler, quieter style of singing may not be Price’s strength. Many of the more energetic passages sound exceptional, as do the more powerful points with harmonies blended in.
Still, with such a variety in mood from the gentle piano ballad “Goodness Like You” to the very funky, thumping, electronically altered bass line of “Something About It,” Goodbye From This Side of the Universe makes an impressive album. I’d say the release qualifies as “art rock,” but in a very catchy, tasty and powerful sort of way.
Check it out at cabincolor.bandcamp.com.
