Reviews

I love The Elms, always have and always will. For me they are one of those bands that sound how I would want to make Christian Music, they are a soundtrack to my life, sound, style and attitude. For me they are in the same bracket as Delirious, Steve and Electralyte; they all create a sound which I believe music should sound like. In a similar sense to how I feel about Oasis, The Beatles, The Who and Kasabian; real music for real people, no holding back on how they want to play music their way.

I first found out about The Elms when I bought a cheap compilation album from my local Christian music shop. It had a selection of songs that had just been released by several bands from their latest albums. The first track was Hey Hey by The Elms from their astounding album The Big Surprise which had a quirky Brit Pop feel and sounded like an album even The Beatles would have been proud of. They went on to release a second studio album called Truth, Soul, Rock & Roll which wasn't as clever as the first and all felt very similar. One track that did stand out though was Speaking in Tongues which was a substantial shining light in a selection of songs that were, at best, above par.

What followed was the heavier and much more in your face The Chess Hotel which had a larger sound, bigger rifts and lyrics that screamed loud and proud. The hidden gem of that album had to be She's Cold which had vibes of The Rolling Stones meeting Queens of The Stone Age. This all leads me to the reason of for this review; the new album The Great American Midrange. What I would like to do is start off with a sum up of the new album. It's not as heavy as The Chess Hotel, not as 60's sounding as Big Surprise yet more creative than Truth, Soul, Rock & Roll.

The Great American Midrange bursts into life with "Strut" and sounds very similar to Lenny Kravitz's American Woman. But "Strut" seems to be about walking around with a bit of a swagger when life isn't too great for yourself, which I was surprised to find as a starter to any album. The album moves into slightly more middle of the road "Unless God Appears First" which deals with the past mistakes people make, yet with grace, we forgive and forget and never make those past mistakes again.

The Shake kicks back into the funky rock n roll side of the band, some great bass work and an amazing guitar rift we have come to know from this Christian Rock n Roll band. The Elms are old school Rock n Roll and The Shake is the perfect example of this. The one song that wouldn't have been amiss on the first Elms album is The Good Guys and it sounds very similar to the track Lifesong.

Another great track off this album has to be the radio single Back to Indiana, which talks about being away on tour in a band and away from your loved one. By far the most crossover mainstream song and another sensational guitar rift. We then move onto This Is How The World Will End which builds up acoustically into a powerful ballad, (but not a power ballad before you get worried) and is the hidden shining jewel in this album's crown, with a chorus of "Sing a tune about the promise. Speak on that which we depend. Now let that certain light come shinin' then Baby we could change the world again". The song really starts to rock out for the last 30 seconds, which doesn't seem out of place yet is what The Elms do well.

The album ends with "A Place In The Sun" which at first I disliked and felt was a poor way to end a rock album with this rock ballad, but after a few listens I enjoyed it and now think it's that special track that you find on all albums after a few listens.

Overall a wonderful album; not a classic and it will probably disappear off my iPod after a few months of continual listening, but certainly not the worst album I have ever heard. The Elms have created a more family friendly, and in most places a pleasant listen. If you buy the album from their website you can get an extra version of the whole album recorded acoustically which is a satisfying touch but not needed to make The Great American Midrange the delightful album it is.

Review by Jono Davies

LTTM Rating 3.5 out of 5 Stars
Standout Tracks
This Is How The World Will End
Back to Indiana
The Good Guys