With twelve songs clocking in at 75 minutes, occasional trance inducing vocals, and sledgehammer guitars, Effloresce glides gently in Elbow's wake. Most of the better moments come with expression in sound rather than lyrics, with the exceptions of the anthemic "One Day All This Could Be Yours" and the single "Remember Where You Are," which both owe a great deal to Guy Garvey's example. The guitar work, which is the make or break of many a prog-rock band, is fairly Incubus like in structure with a little Tom Morello sound thrown in, but the vocals are often set with mainstream rock production and tend to be equaled out in the mix to the music where they are lost behind a wall of sound. If the tracks were all three to four minutes long instead of five to seven, they would be almost indistinguishable from most other top-40 bands. But, thankfully, they're not and some truly artistic moments arise out of the freedom of exploration they allow themselves. Oceansize carries the sensibilities of a Billboard rock band but with the execution of a metal Pink Floyd. So, while not brilliant, Effloresce is definitely worth your time to listen. And the Oceansize official bud grinders they sell at concerts are chief! They are wicked to see live.
1. I Am The Morning
2. Catalyst
3. One Day All This Will Be Yours
4. Massive Bereavement
5. Rinsed
6. You Wish
7. Remember Where You Are
8. Amputee
9. Unravel
10. Women Who Love Men Who Love Drugs
11. Saturday Morning Breakfast Show
12. Long Forgotten
More about: Oceansize
