Alive in Wild Paint

Travis Bryant's former band, Terminal, while a pretty obvious Recover ripoff, still managed to put out one of the better Tooth & Nail releases in recent memory. But, prophetic to the band name, everyone but Bryant quit the band at some point in the middle of one of their tours, stranding the singer alone. Bryant marched on with an acoustic guitar, playing under the band name for a few shows before giving in and laying the band to rest. But with music still in his bones, Bryant gathered up a few other musicians to form Goodbye Tomorrow.

Initially, the project came off to me as another weak Copeland wannabe, of which there are already too many. However, after letting another listen or two sink in, it's quite apparent that the band is much closer in line with the soft, slightly electronic-tinged melodies of Elliott, while less brooding and more vocal heavy, and occasionally reminiscent of Terminal's lighter moments. What's great is Bryant certainly has the voice for it, a strong, emotional and endearing call that actually sounds not only less whiny in this context, but much less like Recover's Dan Keyes.

Their self-titled debut EP only contains a mere 3 songs, but all resonate with ringing, cascading guitars and Bryant's yearning voice guiding it all through. What really gets me is the dynamic here, most apparent in the opener "Tragedienne;" the transition to the chorus seriously pounds, going from quiet acoustic brushes to a rush of guitars and drums -- it honestly sounds fantastic. "A Vespertine Haunting" is actually the most memorable song, though; the repeated line "I'll share your ghost tonight" won't escape a listener's head for days.

Despite the moderate score here, you need to believe that Goodbye Tomorrow delivered much more than expected on this EP. If they plan on capitalizing on all my favorite moments of this for their full-length next year, you better believe I'll be anticipating it only somewhat patiently.

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Carouseling
A Vespertine Haunting