You Are Here

Something Wonderful This Way Comes

     

Never straying from its core of skilled musicianship and impressive production, You Are Here follows Me Of A Kind on their debut album as they wander from genre to genre - touching on rock, electronica, ska, pop, and symphonic strings,with the occasional underpinnings of a cloud of choirgirls. “The Rain,” with its huge, rumbling drums, lush layers of vocals and haunting violins, could easily be the soundtrack to your favorite film featuring vampires or women in corsets, or doves flying en masse out of a dark corner of a gothic church. Each song takes you on a complete journey, an entire film progressing in your mind during those few minutes, the dénouement allowed to settle in only for those brief moments between tracks, until the next adventure begins.

Me Of A Kind’s sound is simultaneously similar to many and none. Individual tracks hint at influences combined in unexpected ways, such as “Drive” with its Siouxsie-inspired vocals, performed over the stadium-filling drums of Muse, all grounded by a bass line any No Doubt fan would cherish. Listeners will be challenged to find a category beyond “alternative” in which to classify this record, which is something of an anomaly in music today, albeit an utterly welcomed anomaly. Reaction-provoking lyrics reminiscent of early Tori Amos on songs such as “The Last Time” and “My Light” are balanced against the soul-searching sensitivity of Morrissey on tracks such as “Forgive Me” where vocalist Jen Schwartz croons, “Forgive me for a heart that’s full of pain.” It is impossible not to feel a sense of zen as the last notes of “You Are Here” (both the title track and the final track of the album) wash over you before fading out. Then, it’s time to start the journey all over again.