easygoing but tense, gloomy but eerie I remember the first time that I listened to my first digital record of Arcade Fire. Like an addiction, it had completely hooked me. And just like that experience, Shape of the Sun’s self-titled debut EP is beginning to be a habit that I will unarguably find difficult to break. It is easygoing but tense, gloomy but eerie all in one meld. So it starts out with “Tear My Heart Out”. This isn’t the first time that I listened to this track but I it hasn’t lost its luster to me and shall never. I’d love to include this in my road-trip playlist to encourage all my friends to bob their heads with me as we sing, “They’re saying in the streets that rock and roll is dead / I hope it’s true then I can finally rest my head!” Then it’s followed by “The Bad Night” which I think is an incredible track. It is a song that when you crazily dance to it, it wouldn’t feel very embarrassing if a roommate barges through your door and sees you in a very awkward manner. Probably, my favorite track from this EP is “I Wanna Be Your Light”. There is so much weight in it. I do not have much background of the conception of the lyrics of this song but it feels like it is a father’s cry to his son. It is passionate and earnest that soaks into the soul. I have to admit that “Icicles” feels like a prologue to a great novel. With less than two minutes of runtime, the song for me seemed rather cold and inchoate since I think it deserved more progression. If there shall be an extended version of the track, it would be great. But then again, I commend the straightforwardness of the poetry in this song. It is wretched and melancholic. I think the EP’s strength is evidenced in the tracks, “The Bad Night”, “I Wanna Be Your Light”, and “The Fire Waits for No One”. They creep up to you with its depth and menacing undertones. I would love to hear more of this kind of music from Nate Linek if he decides to make an LP. So I am giving the EP a 3.8 because listening to it was really a nice experience. It comes to you with a rush, like watching a great film with your insides churning. I hope you do understand the metaphor. Shape of the Sun is an indie rock one-man-band from Ohio. If you want to check out his music, listen to him on Soundcloud or you can visit his website here or download it freely on Bandcamp. # |