Anyone who can go from playing in a metal band to an acoustic solo project and excel at both definitely warrant respect. And by gosh, that's exactly what Nick Thomas has done. Eventually evolving into a four-part band, the Spill Canvas' 2003 debut release, Sunsets And Car Crashes, has already provided them with a solid fan-base.

The Spill Canvas' sound often gets compared to Dashboard Confessional, onelinedrawing, the Early November, and the Lyndsay Diaries, while the only similarity that comes to mind is the acoustic guitar. Sunsets And Car Crashes begins with a love ballad in "Aim Snap Fall," in which Nick's hushed voice tells the listener, "I think I found my better half." Ah, how charming. It's difficult to describe the appeal that the Spill Canvas provides. Dorky, romantic, rhyming lyrics are a dime-a-dozen nowadays, but somehow they manage to pull it off without sounding like every other token "emo" band out there.

After the slow pace of "Aim Snap Fall" the listener may not expect an upbeat track to follow. But alas, perhaps this is where the Spill Canvas separate themselves from the others: each track is unique in tempo and melody. "Caterpillars" is a fairly upbeat song, and while the subject matter remains love, the song really picks up about a minute into it.

The third track, "The Tide," remains a somewhat nostalgic song, in that Nick performs it solo on both the record and during live performances. Sprinkled throughout the 12-song release, the Spill Canvas even add a hint of female vocals to the mixture, to add to the soft, dream-like feel.

In short, if albums centering around love and happiness make you sick (coughwow, shockingcough), Sunsets And Car Crashes is not the record for you. However, for those who can appreciate romantic, acoustic, feel-good albums, you just may fall in love with the Spill Canvas.

MP3s
The Tide
All Hail The Heartbreaker