‘Union Station’ fails to give lasting impression

Photo by Jon B, via flickr

Roberto Lopez-Trigo/Contributing Writer 

The album “Union Station” came out as the sophomore release of the band The Belle Jar.

This band can be best described as a very danceable, modern indie folk rock, with Americana influence.

They hail from Denver, Colorado and started out as a personal project of Ryan James, singer and songwriter of the band, but over time this band evolved into a six-piece, featuring rich instrumentation, such as a piano, violin, drums, a bass, and more.

Their Timbre and fun rhythm sets them apart from the crowd, but at times fall into overly repetitious phrases that make listeners get tired of a song before it’s even over.

For starters, in the song “Window Panes” it starts off with a simple guitar riff, but suddenly explodes out of nowhere, with enough energy to make you want to square-dance and take part in a hoedown on the spot. The song only continues to flourish as time continues and grow. However, for the same token, the song becomes overly repetitive and stale very quickly. This repetition is hid pretty well by the addition of vocal harmony and more instruments, but with a few listens the song becomes very tired very easily.

However a song that stands out from the rest of the album, is the song “In Circles.” This song is much slower and seems to be a sort of tribute to James’s solo songwriting days. This song is quite good and shows a very personal side, in contrast to the overly dancy repetition of the rest of the bands songs.

Overall, the band is quite good, and the album is full of great songs that will entertain you, but many of the songs fall to repetition. They seem like they would be great live performers, seeing as they are very upbeat and fun, but when sitting down and appreciating the music, you get bored of what little there is to appreciate. They will be a good listen, but not for long.

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