Between the Trees Albums (3)
What The Critics Say
While the end of the aughts saw a flurry of youthful, peppy-sad alt-rock combos whose quicksilver mixture of emo and power pop owed more to All-American Rejects than to Weezer, Florida trio Between the Trees stand out, even amidst that bustling crowd. Through lineup changes and ever-swirling label shuffling that has mewed up many a worthy band, Between the Trees not only survived, but matured as a band. Their sparkling sophomore record, Spain, boasts a simple cover, an adrift sailboat upon a beige backdrop, but the towering music within builds upon a sly and well-received but much more understated debut. Between the Trees hangs with a Christian rock crowd, but their sweet, orchestral songs about love and woe and overcoming the former with the latter (and vice-versa) exist on its own plane; while the shimmering majesty lends a certain layer of reverence to the compositions, ultimately the band deals in silly (and serious) love songs and who is the object is irrelevant. Best known for his work with the Fray, Jeff Powell oversees the production, and his spatial touch and love for pomp and elegance reigns, perhaps a little too much at times (the soaring "The One Thing" could easily be mistaken for the aforementioned Fray). However, Spain remains an enveloping record full of dark yet upbeat swatches of poetry, subtle linguistic tricks of the light; it's never gaudy, but the sort of album which lingers in the back of a listener's consciousness only to sneak up hours later. The record is far from brilliant, but it's ear-popping pop with some truly dazzling moments which back up AP magazine's 2007 listing of the band as "one to watch." ~ Jason Thurston, All Music Guide
'The Story and the Song'
Release Date 1/1/2006
Tracks 11
Label Bonded
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Between the Trees kick off their debut The Story and the Song album with the anthemic come-on "The Forward" which invites their fans-to-be to join them in a singalong of a song the band wrote for and about them. Who could resist such a compliment-cum-request, especially when it's wrapped in a perfect alt pop package? Amazingly though, it's not that track, but the second, "White Lines & Red Lights," that was slated for singledom. Well, one can see the logic, the driving "Lines" more accurately showcases the group's emo core across a number bursting with feeling, lovely keyboard work, strong guitar, and a rumbling rhythm. In which case, the Southern-fried "You Cry a Tear to Start a River" illustrates their occasional foray into eclecticism. But mostly the Trees root themselves in what they do best, slugging out emo with a pop tinge on numbers powered by the flashy rhythm section of bassist Jeremy Butler and drummer Josh Butler, while guitarist Ryan Kirkland and keyboardist Wes Anderson vie for attention on top. Anderson's the classier of the two, adding grandiose, swooping atmospheres and an elegant tone to the sound, Butler's the more versatile, flipping from the jagged chords of post-punk into the power riffs of rock, sliding into the emotive leads of the modern age and back to the chiming, harmony laced riffs of new wave, often in the breadth of a single song. Intricate without drawing attention to that fact, the music fills the grooves, but Kirkland's strong vocals easily surmount the power of the music, giving bite to the band's romance strewn, introspective, relationship-strewn lyrics. A strong debut from a band whose story and songs are just beginning. ~ Jo-Ann Greene, All Music Guide
