sosaveme - The Garden

Artist: sosaveme
Album: The Garden
Release Date: October 4, 2011
Label: None

So much music out there today lacks emotion, and instead is replaced with cookie-cutter lyrics and music, that some people eat up. And these days, it's great to see the creative band that breaks out of the norm and does something different. In fact, to say that indie rockers sosaveme thrive almost completely on honesty is no understatement. The band's new album The Garden really holds nothing back, and is full of no holds barred emotion, only found in the most genuine artists.

The Garden is a ten-track album, full of many different stories and introspection, analyzing different aspects of life, from lust to pain to grace. "Gentle Slope" kicks things off with a powerful and convicting indie rock energy infused with some post-hardcore charisma, and lyrics that talk of a man being tempted, while "Fall In Love" honestly pleas "my God, I want to find the end of me," accompanied by grooving percussion, guitars, and emotional vocals. While "Wolves" and "Wake Up" both pack in an aggressiveness, the title track, "The Garden," is a true shining point of the album. The song takes on somber tones, and a look on the garden of Eden, along with a crescendo that builds into a majestic gang vocal section of "You call me by Your name."

Two of The Garden's highlights are in fact the album's closing two tracks, the first being "Sender/Receiver." The song features a guest vocal spot from Mike Mains of Mike Mains & The Branches, who shows off his passionate vocal style, contrasting with Nicholas Pidek's soaring range. The closing "More in Us" is a slower song, with minimal instrumentation, only one guitar in fact backing Pidek's vocals, telling a story of hope amidst the pain of loss, a moving piece that will be sure to tug on the listener's heartstrings.

Overall: sosaveme are one band that you need to know. The emotions painted throughout The Garden are in hues of honesty, a pure yearning for hope and redemption among the broken-hearted. This indie rock four piece seem to have emerged out of seemingly nowhere, despite The Garden being their fifth album, and so skillfully capture the mind of the listener, and pull on emotions hidden deep inside. To simply put it, The Garden is one album you don't want to miss this year.

Rating: 9/10

Reviewed by Brooks Ginnan

Tracklisting:

1. Gentle Slope
2. Fall in Love
3. Wolves
4. Wake Up
5. Tides
6. The Garden
7. Wasteland
8. Autumn Leaves
9. Sender/Receiver (featuring Mike Mains)
10. More in Us