It would probably be difficult to capture Dear Ephesus' sound in the studio. The reason being that this band draws immensley from emotions. It's obvious that they play what they feel and feel what they play.
Dear Ephesus is not a band for mmm boppers. Aaron works with a commanding vocabulary, consisting of words such as: tranquil, sackcloth, posthumous, wanton, and ingrato. "Save me, I have become all I've despised. Burn me, I am laying on my alter broken. Drown me, sinking I can swim no further. Save me from myself."
The guitars are quite often staccato. The song structures stray far from the 3 chord boredom. Since one guitarist carries the rhythem, the bassist is free to run around on the fretboard. All the while, the drum work keeps busy, carrying much more than the basic beat.
I highly doubt that "The Consolation of Pianissimo" captures Dear Ephesus at their best. Emo is best heard in concert and is difficult to replicate the intensity in a soundroom. If you're unsure about the Bulletproof's recording, travel to a nearby show and see them live. I'm looking forward to see what these guys will do with their talent.
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 1997Reviewed by Josh SpencerI had no idea what to expect with this disc, and as the sloppy distortion of the first track filled my headphones my hopes dropped. "Great," I thought, "another talentless 'alternative' band that thinks just because it knows a few chords...." But oh, how quickly was I proved wrong! Strains of melody crept in and then took over, mellow clean-tone guitars sang in sweet contrast to more aggro rhythm…The Phantom Tollbooth 1997Reviewed by Shari LloydAaron Weiderspahn says that, "Everything I write is allegorical or metaphorical. There is always a message of salvation there, but you have to think about it to see it." The Consolation of Pianissimo will give you plenty of food for thought in the smooth moments between the distorted guitars. This album, like most emo, is characterized by more varied or complicated instrumentation than normal…The Phantom Tollbooth 1997Reviewed by James StewartWe don't have many bands like this in the UK. Alternative rock here is still suffering under the weight of brit-pop and brit-rock sounds, and for anything more "alternative" you have to turn to the upsurge of metal bands in the underground. With this album we get passionate vocals, interesting guitar lines, and lots of distortion -- I'm told they call it emo. Lyrically and musically this album…Similar sounding releases
1997Puller / Roadside MonumentPuller/Roadside Monument
2004The Felix CulpaCommitment
2004The GhostThis Pen Is A Weapon
2002The BlamedGive Us Barabbas
2003Cat on FormStructure and Fear
2002RescueVolume Plus Volume
