Eisley - Laughing City EP
Label: Record Collection
Style: Pop
Released: 2003
My Grade: 3.5 stars
AMG: 3
Sounds like: Sixpence None The Richer, The Cranberries


I probably should have reviewed these EPs in order, reviewing this one last week followed by Marvelous Things this week. But then I have never been a person to follow the set standards. I just got caught up listening and reviewed whatever album was in my player at the time.

So, this is the album that started it all for Eisley, their very first major label release, and it packs the punch missing from their second EP. Starting off with the Sixpence-esque hitter “I Wasn’t Prepared” a pop gem sugar coated but with enough alternative kick to make it a sure-fire hit on college radio.

The great thing about this band is that they are already miles ahead of where Sixpence was, not in terms of musical talent, but in terms of label support and loyalty. Also, the vocals are much more crisp and slightly more powerful then Leigh Nash ever was. I could keep comparing them, because the hands are similar by spades, but it should be safe to say that Eisley is filling the hole left by Sixpence when they called it quits last year.

The second song on the album is my favorite, “Telescope Eyes” blends mid-90s female rock, in the veins of The Cranberries, with modern hooks and an instantly catchy melody. One of the best things about Eisley is their whimsical lyrics, each listen is like watching a Tim Burton film with only your ears. A Welcome escape from the modern batch of indie-emo-schlock-rock that consumes most kids today.

The album closes in the same way the second one does, with a ballad, it is almost like the band (or label) is afraid to put a ballad anywhere but the end – like it might distract people from the album. Unfortunately the ballad may be the best song here, a lushly haunting song telling the story of a person who sees their friend has lost it all, but that still needs to hold on, it seems to be a song of encouragement and love - a perfectly beautiful way to end the album.

Reviewed by: Samuel Aaron