Family love really seems to pull through for a lot of musicians as of late (i.e. Burbis, Teenage Millionaire). There must be some odd bio-chemical phenomena going on because the Holladay brothers of D.C. based pop-rock opera, The Epochs, have demonstrated a congratulating first step with their debut self-titled release. The core of The Epochs family is based in D.C. where the two brothers have jammed and recorded from straight out of the womb. Their newest members, 'Kotchy' a Berklee College of Music jazz graduate, and Kevin Smith now join the duo in Brooklyn where they record their material in a loft.
This self-titled debut is appropriate for it's time: soul-driven, orchestrated, electronic and minimally percussive. Electronic experimentation has for the past couple of years been a dominate theme in a lot of pop records. Their success can be found in their use of that experimentation. Rather then starving off of the dependency of what electronic beats and sampled orchestration can provide, The Epochs simply accept a helping hand, allowing them to have a record embodied with electronic enhancement rather than dependency.
Most of the songs carry on a fluid pattern without sounding far too repetitive, though at times they sink to that level. The minimalist percussion is consistent though occasionally bombastic and exciting. Each song stays in the same room but generally do not find themselves in the same spot. The Holladay brothers, whom both share vocal responsibility, are gifted and self taught musicians. They experiment with vocal orientation without sacrificing the composition of their well thought out melodies and over all song composition.
The album does at times fall just short of mainstream pop, though its indie boots are still on. Songs like "Stand Up & Be Counted" and "Opposite Sides" cover the most pop spectrum. Though their song structure is generally of great craftsmanship, they have a difficult time discerning the end of each song, making the songs seem forced or amateur. Overall, the entire album is definitely an achievement, but not enough to add anything new to the music world. History has show that sometimes talent doesn't lend itself to enough creativity, though these musicians are clearly talented, their creativity falls slightly too short. A promising future has begun to blossom, however, just like many acts before them, if they do not gain enough attention, they too might fade.
See also
The Avalanches, Klaxons, Coldplay, Elton John
