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Elevator
Division By: Meredith Vacek (Lawrencerock.com Editor) |
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Lyrically attacking heavier material and adding more layers musically with a new member, Kansas City band Elevator Division is putting out new music once again. Right now all fans have is the Whatever Makes You Happy EP to satisfy their craving from this popular Kansas City act. Another EP could follow it this year or a full-length could appear in the spring, depending on if this EP impresses a label. For now this five-song release will have to tide fans over. No drastic changes haven taken place in Elevator Division since you last heard them. If you like their last album, Movement, this new material is a safe bet. As mentioned above, the two most notable changes are in lyrical content and the addition of a fourth member, guitarist Jeremiah. As a three-piece, the band had to invent more creative song structures to avoid a thin texture and musical holes. This aspect of the band’s creativity evaporated with the addition of a fourth member, but not without heralding substantial gains to make up for it. Now listen to Elevator Division and enjoy fuller song textures, a greater variety in guitar sound, and a new ability to approach songs more aggressively. Missing from this EP are the brilliant and sparkling hooks that drew me into their last album. Present is more energy, more rock, and less of the tinkling-chime guitar that is the trademark of Movement. Of the bands the Elevator Division sites as influences, I can best see how Radiohead and U2 fit into their sound, and I can sort of see slight traces of Pink Floyd and the Cure. The often cheery and bright guitar work, paired with perky drums, is deceptive of the lyrical content. Yes, it is still dark and searching. Still coping with regret, change, memories both wistful and painful, and the break-up issue. Still composed into strong vocal melodies. Vocalist James’ ability to reach to the sky with his voice is still startling and attention grabbing. But new elements in the lives of the band members have changed some of the content and a lot of the perspective. Now included on the EP is a song about war and violence, and no longer are all the songs written from personal experiences of emotional trauma, but instead written from observations about the lives of others. The track I’m most eager to talk about is “Blood Brothers,” the fourth track. This is a song about two brothers who go to war, and the senseless killing they find is a different story than the one of pride and glory their government has taught them. “They taught us how to kill with pride and who to hate and why/and we believed every word they said ‘til we watched each other die/” It would seem that the band has taken a political stance against war, but James, the vocalist/guitarist insisted that is not they way the song was intended. He had this to say about the song: “Track four isn’t an anti-war anthem. I don’t even know how I feel about war. All of the band members have great respect for those who have protected the country. There are some people who are close to us, gentlemen who served in the Vietnam War, who have expressed some regrets and related to us their experiences. The government motivated them for the cause, but once they got out there, they realized that everyone’s just trying to stay alive.” This is somewhat uncharted territory for Elevator Division, and the KC/Lawrence indie rock scene as a whole. Most bands stick to the typical girls/love/longing/break-ups spectrum. It remains to be scene how well fans accept more serious material such as this, and the move away from personal self-searching songs to a more matured look at the world around us. For a home recording on their own equipment, Elevator Division hasn’t done half bad. The sound is clear, the mixing decent, the songs are full of strong and enthusiastic guitar, and the band has something to say about major events going on around them. Watch for the new material at upcoming shows around town. They will be at the Bottleneck this Thursday (8.8.02) with Insects and Spiders and Folly. For more information go to www.elevatordivision.com.
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