Ember FX - Across The Land

Ember FX compiles a few EP songs, singles, and a few new tracks into an 11 song full length. The pretty and soothing melodies combined with mediocre lyrics is Ember FX's style, evident on "Wherever You Are" and "The Afternoon". But the album is very enjoyable, especially the Postal Service-ish "Gravel", and "San Francisco", which is a great song about a great city. While nothing groundbreaking, Across The Land is very pleasant and enjoyable.

3 1/2 STARS

We Were Promised Jetpacks - These Four Walls

Sounding like a perfect combination of Frightened Rabbit and Silent Alarm-era Bloc Party, Scottish band We Were Promised Jetpacks outperform somewhat other seemingly uninspired bands with their debut, These Four Walls. It opens with the epic opener, "It's Thunder and It's Lightning", which starts like Bloc Party's "Helicopter", but ends more along the lines of "This Modern Love". Other highlights include the Interpol-esque "Quiet Little Voices", the moving "Moving Clocks Run Slow", and the slow, brooding "Conductor". A great record, but its slightly repetive nature hints that there is plenty of room for improvement, which would easily catapult them to indie rock stardom.

4 STARS.

Owl City - Ocean Eyes Review

The disappointing thing about Ocean Eyes, the third record by Owl City, continues to be the atrocious lyrics contained within the pleasant sounds that Owl City has always made. Corny and cliched, the lyrics, along with horrible vocal melodies sung by whiny singers, enormously affect the music in a negative way. In addition, the music, while enjoyable, completely fails to develop, or evolve from his past records. It's hard not to cringe when you hear "The Bird and the Worm", "Dental Care", or "On The Wing", but it's also hard not to enjoy "Hello Seattle", "Fireflies", and "Vanilla Twilight."Adam Young might get some real critical reception if he starts making songs that try to capture a feeling other than euphoria, and lyrics that talk about something other than how much you love her.

2 1/2 STARS