Strata "Strata Presents The End of The World"
Wind Up Records - May 15, 2007
by Shayna Moskowitz
I'm willing to bet that any of you reading this review have most likely not heard of the band Strata, so if you haven't, I highly recommend reading on as they may very well be a gem in a dry desert of artist originality! This band is up and coming, and their first album release will be on 5/15/07. I can say I felt quite honored to be able to review this bands first CD. Strata is made up of Eric Victorino – vocals, Ryan Hernandez – guitar, synths, vocals, and effects, Hrag Chanchanian – bass, piano and vocals, and Adrian Robison – drums, samples. Strata is from Campbell, CA and they spent 2 years creating Strata Presents The End of The World. The time spent creating this album shows as I feel it is honestly one of the purest works of music I've listened to in quite some time.
The album in itself is solely about life, love, and the America we live in now. Eric sings his heart out in this album with pure soul behind his every word. What else is completely amazing in this album is the orchestral sound it carries. Hrag is an amazing piano player, and he makes the instrumental parts of the album that much better. I am a romantic at heart so this also helped me truly love this album since it seems harder and harder to find a good love song these days. The lyrics in this album accompanied by awesome musicianship cried out to me as I listened to the album over and over. Sounds sappy doesn't it and it is, but I am hooked!
The song "Hot/Cold (Darling Don't)" is probably one of the saddest, yet most true, love songs I've ever heard. Eric sings about coming up with the courage to break up with someone, and how hard the words are to say "The first of my tears begin to fall. I had it all planned out, what I was going to say, but then that lump in my throat came and stole my words away." I feel it is absolutely amazing how perfect he puts this scenario into words. Then there is the song "Cocaine (we're all going to hell)". This song is about how being caught up in the web of cocaine addiction can actually cost you your life. Its pretty fast paced and I like how accurately it can describe the problems this drug can bring on to anyone involved in the addiction or how it is viewed by an outsider. The song "Love is Life" is also one of my favorites off this album, I like the twangy sound it starts off with, and I truly enjoy how well the rhythm of the entire song goes. This is also one of those songs that for me personally conveys very well how being in love feels, and how important this feeling is to experience. I will have to say that my most favorite song off the entire album is "The New National Anthem". I have 2 little brothers that just joined the military so perhaps this is why this song reaches me like it does. This song talks about the current war we are in, and I think the lyrics Eric wrote are absolutely brilliant. "They are recruiting my little brother, and they are shipping off my friends" is in the opening verse to this song and after hearing those words I had to listen a little closer to what he is saying in this song. For anyone truly not advocating why we are over in Iraq, I promise you will appreciate this song.
I would like to leave the majority of this album up to those out there reading this to listen to and decide for yourself how awesome the band Strata is. If you are a fan of Evanescence, Radiohead or choose your music for powerful lyrics in general I highly recommend picking up their 1 st debut album Strata Presents The End of The World, which, will be released 5/15/07. I promise you will not be disappointed! If you would like more information on the band, please visit the following sites: www.myspace.com/strata, www.stratadirect.com, www.winduprecords.com.
© 2007 UnRatedMagazine.com
by Shayna Moskowitz
I'm willing to bet that any of you reading this review have most likely not heard of the band Strata, so if you haven't, I highly recommend reading on as they may very well be a gem in a dry desert of artist originality! This band is up and coming, and their first album release will be on 5/15/07. I can say I felt quite honored to be able to review this bands first CD. Strata is made up of Eric Victorino – vocals, Ryan Hernandez – guitar, synths, vocals, and effects, Hrag Chanchanian – bass, piano and vocals, and Adrian Robison – drums, samples. Strata is from Campbell, CA and they spent 2 years creating Strata Presents The End of The World. The time spent creating this album shows as I feel it is honestly one of the purest works of music I've listened to in quite some time.The album in itself is solely about life, love, and the America we live in now. Eric sings his heart out in this album with pure soul behind his every word. What else is completely amazing in this album is the orchestral sound it carries. Hrag is an amazing piano player, and he makes the instrumental parts of the album that much better. I am a romantic at heart so this also helped me truly love this album since it seems harder and harder to find a good love song these days. The lyrics in this album accompanied by awesome musicianship cried out to me as I listened to the album over and over. Sounds sappy doesn't it and it is, but I am hooked!
The song "Hot/Cold (Darling Don't)" is probably one of the saddest, yet most true, love songs I've ever heard. Eric sings about coming up with the courage to break up with someone, and how hard the words are to say "The first of my tears begin to fall. I had it all planned out, what I was going to say, but then that lump in my throat came and stole my words away." I feel it is absolutely amazing how perfect he puts this scenario into words. Then there is the song "Cocaine (we're all going to hell)". This song is about how being caught up in the web of cocaine addiction can actually cost you your life. Its pretty fast paced and I like how accurately it can describe the problems this drug can bring on to anyone involved in the addiction or how it is viewed by an outsider. The song "Love is Life" is also one of my favorites off this album, I like the twangy sound it starts off with, and I truly enjoy how well the rhythm of the entire song goes. This is also one of those songs that for me personally conveys very well how being in love feels, and how important this feeling is to experience. I will have to say that my most favorite song off the entire album is "The New National Anthem". I have 2 little brothers that just joined the military so perhaps this is why this song reaches me like it does. This song talks about the current war we are in, and I think the lyrics Eric wrote are absolutely brilliant. "They are recruiting my little brother, and they are shipping off my friends" is in the opening verse to this song and after hearing those words I had to listen a little closer to what he is saying in this song. For anyone truly not advocating why we are over in Iraq, I promise you will appreciate this song.
I would like to leave the majority of this album up to those out there reading this to listen to and decide for yourself how awesome the band Strata is. If you are a fan of Evanescence, Radiohead or choose your music for powerful lyrics in general I highly recommend picking up their 1 st debut album Strata Presents The End of The World, which, will be released 5/15/07. I promise you will not be disappointed! If you would like more information on the band, please visit the following sites: www.myspace.com/strata, www.stratadirect.com, www.winduprecords.com.
© 2007 UnRatedMagazine.com
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