by Jason

I happened up Absinthe Blind by accident through my interaction with Grand Theft Autumn records. As I began to become familiar with Rings, I did not know that I would stumble upon a musical jewel. What I found was astounding and brilliant. Simply put, I cannot say enough about this album. It is a masterpiece and all who love music should own a copy. Hailing from Champaign-Urbana, IL, Absinthe Blind crafts a disc that is both captivating and mature. Mark Talbott (ex-HUM) and Keith Cleversley (Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev, Spiritualized) produced Rings and helped the band to make its sound shine through. Rings begins with a beautiful drone inviting the listening to enter musical landscapes that soar: vast and altogether powerful. This is due in part to Adam and Erin Fein‘s intertwined vocals. I am usually hesitant to accept a band that has more than one singer, but this brother and sister team pull it off in spades. Both Erin and Adam hold their own as front people, but they also have the power to enhance the others voice when doing BGVs. Beyond its musical depth, the lyrics are also mature and introspective. On the first track, “The Break”, Adam and Erin proclaim, “the melody’s inside me/It’s been there all this time.” And they do let it out. This entrance into the album leads the listener to Bands 1 (4th track) that captivates with one line: “She said playing in bands won’t make you well.” Erin croons this line over and over upon drones and layered guitars, horns, and a vast musical landscape. “Face Inside My Mirror” seems to state the albums overall introspective theme with its rock tempo and layered tones: “Your face inside my mirror/and in that I saw / exactly what got/clearer.” My favorite song on the disc has to be “She Saves/Now I’m Where I Need To Be.” The song opens with big, grungy guitars and moves into a melodic journey that lasts 9:51. What is fantastic about this song is that, at the end of the song, you just want more. There is no sense of drudgery or “is this song over yet.” I would also like to take my hat off to Peter Linder who contributed Cello on this song. All this being said, I certainly do not want to take away from the rest of the band. Tristan Wraight, Brett Sanderson, and Seth Fein make up the rest of this impressive musical machine. Drum, guitar, bass, and programming all are impressive and, I must say, makes me want the next album now!