Album Details

• Artist: Elevator Art
• Album: Elevator Art
• Label:
• Year of Release: 2010
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: iamparadox on 2010-06-26

If you're anything like me, I can sometimes be a sucker for names. True Blood, Tiger Woods, South Beach Diet, Apple, Dallas Cowboys, Crown Royal Black, Victoria's Secret, OG Kush: they all tend to stand out from the crowd. So imagine my curiosity when a new record by a somewhat new band called Elevator Art comes across my email.

Hailing from New Jersey, this group of friends have been hanging out since high school and are now making music together. According to their bio, "Elevator Art’s music is contagious and accessible yet challenging because the band explores a wide range of influences from track to track.  Usually one of us comes up with a basis for a song and then everyone puts their input in on it and nurtures it with fresh ideas like it’s their child. One idea can start and then we all contribute to make a great thing out of it. People wonder about having so many lead singers, it’s about however the song speaks to us and what voice it chooses for any particular part. Because of this unity and the fact that we all like diverse types of music, there’s an authenticity that we bring to this debut album that truly represents what Elevator Art is all about.”

The group has a sound as diverse as Jet to Dead Weather to Cheap Trick.  Their very first record starts with a song called "Matryoshka" and at first has somewhat of a ska vibe.  It's both at once quirky and catchy, much like the entire album.  "She's got a circus mind, she's got a circus mind spinning round and round", and " come on, get in, let's take a ride to the center of the universe" are some of the lyrics before the song ends abruptly. "Peter Rabbit" is a dark, enchanting epic with some clever writing:  "The other day I tried to say I love you but instead I finally said hello. Your appetite for love has got you throwing up in your hands, 365 one night stands." The verses have a really great drumbeat and guitar playing.  "Punch and Judy" has to be the best song on the recording: " I'm a social caterpillar and she's a butterfly", "I like you better when you lie" . And again, the drums and guitar sound amazing in this song. They give us a hint of both their potential and ability to stretch musically. You just have to hear this female voice screaming out, "You're just like beer in a wine glass!" 

Another highlight is a slower tune called "How Does The Day Find You". It features a mellow sound with great vocals and harmonies and lyrics like "have you ever been so frustrated, have you ever been so god damn elated". It's an ideal song to relax and unwind to after a long week at work. Unfortunately the song comes to a terrible ending. One of the best songs on the record starts to unravel as the band sings "where do we go from here", and it's like self-fulfilling prophecy. Luckily, the record doesn't end there. "My Glass" is definitely a song to drink to: " My glass is half empty cause I gotta thirsty and drank the other half." As they say themselves, "If there’s one song that sums up Elevator Art’s sense of optimism/idealism, it’s “My Glass,” which is about the choice to look at life and situations as half full or half empty." The song ends with "let's drink to happiness if it takes us all night long then by the morning all our troubles will be gone."

Elevator Art is a great first effort by a new band trying to break out. They are unique in their lineup, talent, and sound. Oh yeah, and so is their band's name!  We don't judge books by their covers, either should we judge music by the band's name or album art. If you have to judge, do it on the basis of music alone. As they themselves have said: "The songs on Elevator Art say a lot about our philosophies of life. We want people to “go” with our music, draw them in and take the listener into a new direction where we show them how to poke fun at reality by simply daring to be hopeful.” 

 Summary: Elevator Art is a great first release by a diverse new band that shows promise.

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