Review:

on 2012-12-20 paul2112 Said:

AVRA HARNESSES THE SOUND OF TRENTON
By Jennifer Crawford
Rowan University


In its early days as a band in Trenton, post-punk AVRAs first critics were less than flattering. Equipment was stolen and cops were called on practice sessions, leading to police describing AVRA as ruining the quality of life. Listening to AVRAs debut album In Other Peoples Eyes, its surprising that the quality of life in Trenton could be imperiled by music that sounds so much like the city.

AVRA, formed in 2002, christens itself a band born in a third world town on the cusp of recession. Indeed, the invigorating melancholy that drives the album highlights the post in AVRAs post-punk, a reflection of a town that has found itself in a post-world state of mind. In AVRAs post-Golden Age, post-America conception of America, vague urban imagery is conjured by vocals drowned in melodic turbulence, echoing the subdued desperation of the Jersey concrete jungle.

Opening the curtain on AVRAs debut is Engineer, one of many ambient tracks in which the band establishes its tendency to use ambiguity and snippets of disconnected storytelling. Engineer foreshadows a hypnotic, introspective album that is all about navigating through guitar-driven, occasionally synth-y mental fog. Unfortunately, AVRA attempts storytelling in ways that lead the intrigued listener to dissatisfaction. With lyrics that dont get much more specific than I can get out past the waves/Until the point where I can see for miles/Beyond the flooding of the waves, the listener is often left with a general notion of a songs message but without the filling details and sparked curiosity that make a song memorable.

In tracks like Reconcile and The Gates, AVRA channels one of its prime influences, The Smiths, as lead singer Stellios Maroulis relates emotional lyrics with distant vocals that almost seem to glide right over the subject matter. Maroulis vocals could be likened to those of post-hardcore band Spartas lead singer, Jim Ward, in that they effortlessly flit between soothing detachment and belted desperation. A particularly memorable example of this is Return, a catchy, modern tune with an indie sing-along quality.

Much of In Other Peoples Eyes concerns itself thematically with love and personal relationships, as demonstrated on Strap Discipline and Control Myself, though the band does approach issues with more global weight, as with the recurring image of a young soldier in The Gates. The piano-driven closing track 4 AM carries the listener out softly yet conclusively, again mirroring the uplifting calm of the Manchester scene that spawned acts like Joy Division and, of course, The Smiths. Appropriately, 4 AM exudes quiet reflection, setting the stage for Maroulis most inspiring vocal performance of the album.

The whole of In Other Peoples Eyes sounds of introspection and desperation, easily invoking images of highways and concrete. The album is serene and filled with longing, with a lyrical variety that shows the bands eagerness to follow in the footsteps of the globally-minded U2, another of its primary influences. Though sometimes too vague and dispassionate to gain the interest of genuine listeners, In Other Peoples Eyes shows AVRAs ability to fill up a room with an atmospheric approach to Jersey storytelling.


Rating: 8/10

Review:

on 2012-12-20 paul2112 Said:

AVRA'S DARK OPUS WORTH THE LISTEN
Written By Tom Ciccone
The College of New Jersey


Rock music is changing. Bands are becoming more diverse in their choice of genres and the general soundscape is becoming increasingly Lynchian. Layers upon layers of reverb and other effects are creating tracks that utilize a thick soundscape to produce new and exciting palettes of sound.



Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, of Mars Volta fame, has followed this technique avidly in his prodigious quantity of solo LPs. Now, more and more bands are beginning to utilize these layers of ambient effects and sound. AVRAs debut LP is a perfect example of this cacophonous layering of reverb and delay effects.



AVRA, led by front man Stellios Maroulis, have put together an interesting record. Paul Scozzari, who just recently earned his graduate degree in Educational Administration last December from the College, is also a member of the band.



AVRAs debut album opens up with Engineer, a perfect example of how rock music is becoming more progressive in its musical expressions. Its once sparse opening soon kicks into a driving beat with its energy growing throughout the course of the piece. AVRA displays the obvious truth that bands are beginning to get bored with the typical verse, chorus, verse, chorus and then throw-in-a-bridge song structures.



Throughout the record Maroulis channels a Morrison-like, dark inflection that often curls in and out of the music. His lyrics are heavy, often reflecting the pained emotions in the music. There is great interplay here, oftentimes lyrics can get lost in the music, but with AVRA the words flow with the music.



The mood will often shift throughout AVRAs songs as ghostly guitar lines splatter Cellophane with reverb that seems to transmit sounds as dark and distant as the subtle pains expressed in Marouliss lyrics, which often find their most power in a crescendo effect.



The great strength of Avra is in their dark, post-punk inflections. One could say many of their songs reflect the setting in which their art was conceived  a humble house in the middle of the desolution that is a Trenton suburb.



While at first it may seem that AVRAs lyrics hang on the typical angst-ridden emotions characteristic to the post-punk genre, their messages are often more complex and even political. For instance,



White Hall is about the current geo-political issues facing our world.



To some listeners, AVRAs sound may seem a little too heavy with emotion, but that doesnt mean their heaviness is their weakness. Perhaps it means that their audience will be more selective.



Though I must admit that I felt AVRA hung out on one emotion for too long, which makes their album somewhat repressive when listened to from start to finish. This isnt to say that their consistency is an utter weakness. Oftentimes bands develop many great ideas only to put together a record as convoluted and varied as a Pollock painting. AVRA have done the complete opposite, their sound is mature and developed, yet there are too few moments when the mood brightens.



Reconcile does achieve this change of mood. As the lyrics shift to a thematic idea of finding common ground between two lovers, the guitars take a change of pace from their usual dissonant, reverb drenched guitar lines to more bright tonalities and major chords.



The great interplay between the piano and guitars on Strap Discipline is something ill-achieved by many rock bands, as the instruments are very similar in how they relate to the overall scope of the bands sound. AVRA achieves a necessary balance with their instrumentation. Its a refreshing record when you can tell the musicians are playing to the song, not to their own insular musings.



So, if you enjoy the types of bands that have influenced AVRA, you will no doubt enjoy this debut LP. It is a well-crafted and thoroughly produced record and is filled with plenty of gems with lots of replay value.



AVRA are currently looking foward to doing promotional shows in the tri-state area, so if you like what you hear, be sure to check out their social media at facebook.com/avraband




Rating: 8/10