Reservoir

http://www.reachthetracks.bandcamp.com/

Wow, almost an entire month without a single update. Most of you probably think that both me and this blog are dead, but rest assured that it is not the case. Still pretty much alive, but without a lot of time to write and in fact this month I have been lacking hours spent on the internet in general. Starting somewhere next week you can count on more regular updates in the future due to my wish to try and be as creative as possible.

"Reservoir" is a four piece project hailing from Pennsylvania formed in late 2010. Ever since then the band has been playing some exquisite post-hardcore/emo music which is, thus far, packed into a demo, one seven inch release and a stand alone track. In short, if you are a fan of acts such as "Small Brown Bike", "Mineral", "Sunny Day Real Estate" or "Braid" then this band is worth your time. A while ago, I have been contacted by Justin from the band in hopes of me doing a review of their latest release and he was kind enough to also send me their demo recordings. It took me quite a lot of time to get to write about "Reservoir", for which I am sorry, but needless to say I fell in love with their music instantly and all of their output deserves to be talked about.

The demo saw the light of day in early 2011, namely second February is the official date of release. Twelve minutes of music are sculpted into four songs which really grow up to the older bands already mentioned above. The intro song called "Still" takes you on a one-breath ride and there is seriously no place to push pause or stop until the entire demo is over. All tracks are constantly flowing on fast pace with a lot of twists and turns along the way, being in the form of various bridges, slight tune drops and buildups of intensity. The diversity of sound was really interesting to behold, since there is always something unexpected going on. Repetitive song sections are minimal or almost nonexistent, which makes you just sit, absorb and analyze their sound. I particularly enjoyed the vocals on this release, since you get to hear a crude, raspy throat being intersected with a more clear, gentler voice, with various changes as far as dominance goes and multiple spots with pack singing/screaming. The same goes for instruments, since most of the times everything is just perfectly melded together and then you get to hear a certain band member being pushed up front under the spotlight for a few seconds. Melodies seem to be connected well and extremely precise, in my ears sometimes grabbing a few attributes from certain mathy genres.

"Forgetting and Trusting" is a song that came out in July 2011 and it represents a great transition and bridge between the demo and the band's latest release. As with all young bands it is really obvious to expect some kind of change in sound and this song is a good example of evolution. At first glance, the song is longer than previous output of the band and, once it starts, changes are apparent. Here the band experimented a lot when it comes to various paces of their tunes, which resulted in a much slower track. It floats from slow to medium tempo, with the sound itself also swinging between quiet and calm to occasionally bursting with volume and reaching toward fast pace. Overall, it is an interesting song, definitely paving the way toward the new material. "Into Endings" is the most recent creation of the band, coming out on 21 October 2011 as a 7'' release by "Upside Down Records". The three songs which are present on the record seem like the most solid form of output the band came to write, taking the best from their demo and just further bettering it. Once again, songs are really fast and this flow is the dominant one for the ten minutes featured on this seven inch. The very sound quality of the recordings has dramatically changed for the better and witnessing the already mentioned complexity and precision in songs is much more enjoyable now. Melodies remained raw and truly heartfelt, at times reminding me of a mix between "Merchant Ships" and "Title Fight". Bet you didn't see that one coming. Either way, the band really took a huge step forward and the transition is amazing.

Currently, "Reservoir" has a couple of gigs lined up, but as far as new material goes I have no idea what they are up to. All of you who have a facebook account can follow them on their page here and you can also visit the website of "Upside Down Records", found here. I sincerely hope that this band stays together and that they continue writing music, since they are all extremely talented. Definitely check them out, you'll love them for sure!