Things I Tried to Be, the debut release from Green Olive Tree on Syntax records, opens up with a very strong track, "Unassisted." It's a song about trying to fight through life alone, unassisted. The song is musically heavy and very catchy. The next song, "For Andy," heads in a very different musical direction, almost alterna-pop. The third song switches musical styles yet again having a very punk feel. Lyrically, Green Olive Tree tries to capture the feelings of teenage life -- the uncertainty, the longing and trying to find where one is headed -- while trying to offer hope through faith in God at the same time. "Enter Golgotha, Vision of Tears" is probably the most notable song here. It deals with the same issues of pain, sin and redemption but does so not from the modern teenager's point of view but Jesus' as he is crucified.
Darkness surrounds me,
The crushing load begins,
On me, in me, the unholy weight of sin.
Each vile thought,
Each evil deed indwells my flesh,
It's part of me.
Anger I hate!
Envy I want!
Lust I crave!
Greed I need! Anger, envy, lust greed I hate
I crave, I want I need!
It is finished, it is done.
Father, open your arms,
Receive your Son.
The image of God himself struggling with the same feelings you and I might have is a powerful one; however, the full impact isn't as strong here as it might be. There are hundreds of bands out there that sound like Green Olive Tree and unfortunately, these guys don't really do or play anything that makes them stand out. It's clear that they want to stand out and do have their hearts in the right place, but until they offer something original, you'll listen to this album and think that you've heard it all before.
The album is diverse-- probably too much so. There's a lot of promise here but unfortunately much of it is unrealized. If you're a fan of hard music of various styles you may want to give this band a listen but for the most part this album is very forgettable.
1.5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
Opus 2001Reviewed by Jason MoreheadIt's a dangerous thing when a band tries to be too many things at once. It's rarely done successfully (none come readily to my mind). Too often the results are a jumbled mess that either comes off as nothing more than artistic indulgence, an attempt to cash in on whatever's popular at the moment, or just a confusing mess. Unfortunately for Green Olive Tree, Things I Tried to Be comes across as a…HM Magazine #78Reviewed by Doug Van PeltHere's some pretty cool modern rock that reminds me of Collective Soul and the funkiness of Hot Pink Turtle (remember them?). The production is kinda fuzzy and slightly dull, but the band experiments with some cool tones and the vocals are pretty melodic. I like the song "No Escape," makes the Psalm-ish request for God to "search me and know me!"Similar sounding releases
1999ElliottIf They Do
2001Jeremiah's GrottoThrough It All
1998MisprintAnother Broken Promise
2001Raft of Dead MonkeysThoroughlev
2001StavesacreCollective
2004The Shivering& Brand the Ground With Storm and Song
