How would Jesus like it?
I recently read Jacob Slichter’s book about life on the road with rock band, Semisonic, poignantly titled, “So you want to be a rock star?” In the book, Slichter talks about the how grueling the day-to-day life of being in the world’s most popular band of the moment can be. Semisonic’s hit, of course, was the timeless classic, “Closing Time”. That song was written by Dan Wilson, who produced Epic Hero’s new EP, Blacking Out the Stars.
Blacking Out the Stars is a nice little EP, that has Wilson’s trademark niceties all over it.
First of all, the songs all rock. Semisonic made it’s name playing music that you can bob your head to, and Epic Hero follows suit with a string of songs that possess a powerful inertia of musical energy that is difficult to stop once the album gets rolling.
Above: Epic Hero goofs off
As it happens, the EP really gets off the ground on the second track, “Stars”, where frontman, Justin Milbradt, states:
If I had the words to describe you
I’d say you’re nature’s second sun
I know that I’m nobody’s hero
You’re a hero to everyone
I would scream it to the galaxy
The songs on the EP, all invariably about love, shared or not, between boy and girl, have a polished quality that has them ready to take on the biggies on Top 40 radio. The album flows like the Tigris River during a rainy season - smooth and powerful.
Though most of the lyrics discuss how a boy is longing for a girl to love him, there are moments of intrigue. For example, on “Jesus Wouldn’t Like It”, Milbradt scorns:
She throws rocks at the stars
Dreams of living in cars
But she won’t love me
Jesus wouldn’t like it that way
She forgets how to breathe
Never knows when to leave
But she won’t call me
Jesus wouldn’t like it that way
Summary: If you like polished rock music, then this is a must-listen. If you are more into the unpolished sound of indie rock bands, as I am, you might want to save your money and wait until the Chins put out their next record. Overall, this is a solid effort from Epic Hero.
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