Safe as Houses

How It Feels to Be Erased is a fun little six-song EP by a band I'd previously never heard of. Safe as Houses is a sort of Dashboard / Something Corporate-type band -- everything you'd think they'd do, they do. However, I've found the catch: They don't suck.

The first song, "In All Honesty" is a smashing way to start a record, with a great chorus, good lyrics, and an overall catchy feeling that really gets you into it. Track 2, "Minuets and Miles" isn't as fast; it's a mild track that exploits some talent from the band and carries you into another great song. "I Don't Believe in Beatles" is very slow; it actually worried me a bit -- that perhaps these guys would be one of those bands, but they don't disappoint; they again succeed in creating a great sound and I love the little group yell they did, it being a nice accent that boosts the song with some energy.

"A Singing Revolution" is the best track on this record -- it shows that they can write out of the whole "guy meets a girl they fall in love and bleed or something" that most new bands have fallen into. The acoustic version of "In All Honesty" is great, helped with some piano.

I'll say this to close this all out: It's a poppy record, and it does a damn good job at it, with good choruses, good vocals and great lyrics to boot. Let's hope a full-length will come out this good.