Eisley "Combinations" CD

Eisley gets more ambitious with each EP and album, as well they should: Combinations is the band's second album, but they recorded it when they were barely in their twenties -- a time when growth and change aren't just natural, they're required. This set of songs reflects Eisley's evolution; they sound more grown-up and maybe a shade less playful than Room Noises and the band's EPs, but they keep the uniqueness that made Eisley worth hearing in the first place. Combinations gets off to a literally rocky start with &"Many Funerals," which begins with a moody sea shanty-like melody that swells into charging choruses. It's the heaviest, angstiest Eisley song yet, and though it borders on overwrought, it shows the depth and breadth the band brings to their music this time around. Eisley's mix of old and new, and accessible and unexpected, makes their music utterly charming, and Combinations is a blend of bewitching contradictions.

For Fans Of: Joanna Newsom, Copeland, Azure Ray