Lewis had a few things going in their favor before I even gave the disc a listen. First off, they are on Deep Elm records, one of the hippest indie labels out there that for years has given us some of the top emo bands and is currently exposing the world to some great post-emo music. Secondly, Lewis gets its name from one of my favorite authors, C.S. Lewis. So what's not to like?
Pop that sucker in the CD player, and now I have a third reason to like them: these guys are good! The Texas-based band tosses Brett Tohlen's beautifully emotional vocals over a nice blend of dreamy, atmospheric instrumentation, making complex arrangements sound simple, and boy does this disc flow nicely from one song to the next. We're talking lush and melodic at the same time.
From the get-go, the band sets the tone on the first tune, "Cruelest Month," with the opening words,
Men of blood, we are the fruit of lust
Filled with sin, death and despair.
The band picks up the pace on "Bitter Days" then slows it down again on "Returning to the Scene of the Crime." The pace changes throughout the disc, but the timing is always "just right."
In "Feet on the Ground," the singer cries out for help,
Who will put my feet back on the ground
When there is none to be found, at all?
But you only speak a word
And the void gives birth.
And again on "Out of Sync,"
Took a hammer to all things
Looking for that still small voice inside.
Fans of label-mates such as Appleseed Cast and This Beautiful Mess will definitely be interested in Lewis. And this is a disc you'll go back to time and time again.
4.5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
Decapolis January 2003Reviewed by BW DiederichLewis are a semi-recent signing to Deep Elm records. Even So is their second full length, but first for Deep Elm. So let's not hide anything. I posted a first version of this review, and it was a very rough draft that should never have seen the light of day. I now (after a bit of duress) freely admit that, and am apologizing for its existence on the site. Let me restate that. This is a formal…HM Magazine #98Reviewed by Jeffrey EllingerThom Yorke should be proud or at least a little weirded out over how much Brett Tohlen, lead singer for Lewis (because the band likes C.S. Lewis) sounds like him. The comparisons between the music of Radiohead and Lewis should probably stop there, although it is tempting to continue on looking at the two acts in the same musical light because Lewis tends to slip into nu-Brit pop mode from time to…The Phantom Tollbooth 2002Reviewed by Bert GanglGiven the venerated status attached to his now-classic literary works, one might rightly expect any band taking its name from writer C. S. Lewis to aspire to at least a portion of the famous author's eloquence and imagination. True to inspiration, the members of Texan four-piece Lewis fill their sophomore outing, Even So, with a decidedly literate, image-rich set of lyrics. Entries like the title…The Phantom Tollbooth 2002Reviewed by Matt ModrichLewis is a four-piece emo band from Dallas named after none other than C.S. Lewis, which may indicate that they are Christians, but the faith of the band is not exactly clear. "Even So" is Lewis' first release on Deep Elm Records and is the band's second album. Lewis tends to be on the mellow end of the emo spectrum--recommended for fans of Radiohead and Sleeping At Last. However, fans of poppy…Similar sounding releases
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