Search - Epic Soundtracks :: Rise Above

Up Sounds from the Down-and-Out

Andy Shanks | 01/20/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Though Sleeping Star features his highest point with "Emily May (You Make Me Feel So Fine)", Rise Above is the strongest of Epic Soundtracks' dark-night trio of platters. Known mainly for his drumming in the most abrasive of underground acts like Swell Maps and Crime and the City Solution, Epic startled many by revealing himself to be a tender-hearted pop traditionalist whose own tunes were strongly influenced by those of early 70s faves Carole King and Todd Rundgren. Rise Above also radiates the wiped-out vibe of Sister Lovers-era Alex Chilton, saturated with self-absorbed sentiment in the best way possible and similarly devoting its 12 songs to the notion that love can be way, way bad for you. Fortunately, Epic Soundtracks' deep emotional commitment to the material on Rise Above trancends the collection of influences that makes too many of today's retro acts sound like tribute bands, and he has not yet given way to the amorphous pondering that bogs down later albums. "Ruthless", in particular, is as powerful as anything that Epic Soundtracks would ever write, and "Fallen Down" and "Everybody Else Is Wrong" are both arresting in their peculiar backwards approach to feel-good music."

Beautiful, mellow, piano-driven pop in a 70's style.

Pop Kulcher | San Carlos, CA USA | 09/02/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Pop Kulcher Review: The late Epic Soundtracks started out as the drummer for the Swell Maps, an obscure experimental group, and later played drums for a few other 2nd/3rd-tier post-punk bands. So his solo debut was something of a shock: simple, singer-songwriter ballads, almost entirely just piano & vocal (with a few fully-orchestrated tunes with members of Sonic Youth, amid others, helping out). The album is a complete throwback to early-70's acts like Badfinger, Todd Rundgren, and Harry Nilsson -- maybe even the Carpenters (for whom Soundtracks confessed some admiration) -- making for a perfect Sunday-morning listen. It has a pervasively sad, nostalgic feel to it, but really draws you in."