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Room Noises  >>

Eisley's debut full-length Room Noises is exactly what fans of their 2003 EPs Laughing City and Marvelous Things were hoping for--a shimmering, bittersweet blast. Concocted by three sisters, their brother, and their best friend, the band's sound recalls the melodic whimsy of artists like The Cardigans, Belly and The Sundays. Their take is more straightforward though, as bright moods light up even the most plaintive ballads; the minor chords of "Lost At Sea," for instance, get cracked open by Sherri and Staci DuPree's crystalline tandem vocals, allowing one of the record's many glittery hooks to burst through. It's like that all the way in fact, as song after song gives birth to a new earworm. The drawback is a lack of diversity which keeps those sunny, delicious moments from having the impact they should. Part of the blame lies with the too-clean production, which you can hear the band trying to break out of here and there (listen to the warped beginning to "Plenty of Paper"). But there's no need to be perfect straight out of the gate, and there are worse things than listening to a band play to their strengths. -Matthew Cooke

Combinations  >>

The great thing about Eisley's follow-up to 2005's Room Noises is not just that it's a crystalline, polished piece of pop craft, but that it still manages to feel personal. The DuPree sisters have conjured another blizzard of vocal harmony, and made it sound like something they could do in their sleep. But here it floats over music that is both sturdy and whimsical. Still quite young (Sherri is 23, Stacy is 18), the sisters and their assorted family members (all five members of the band are related) have improved on the occasional blandness that compromised Noises. Combinations is still over-produced and would profit from a few more rough edges, but the guitars are a little crunchier and the music sounds weightier. Less content to exist as backgrounds for the DuPrees' lovely voices, the structures of songs like "I Could Be There for You" stay fresh and unpredictable after more than a few listens. And yet there's no fat here, with no track exceeding four minutes. That economy of sound helps Eisley get a lot of range on a song like "Taking Control," which opens with a gorgeous verse, shifts into a blink-and-you'll-miss-it bridge and--bam!--we're onto the chorus. The whole thing takes exactly 26 seconds. It's a little scary how young they are relative to their songwriting chops. Listening to Eisley is fun now, but even more fun when you consider their through-the-roof potential. --Matthew Cooke

Marvelous Things  >>

Laughing City  >>

Combinations With Bonus DVD (Limited Edition)  >>

The great thing about Eisley's follow-up to 2005's Room Noises is not just that it's a crystalline, polished piece of pop craft, but that it still manages to feel personal. The DuPree sisters have conjured another blizzard of vocal harmony, and made it sound like something they could do in their sleep. But here it floats over music that is both sturdy and whimsical. Still quite young (Sherri is 23, Stacy is 18), the sisters and their assorted family members (all five members of the band are related) have improved on the occasional blandness that compromised Noises. Combinations is still over-produced and would profit from a few more rough edges, but the guitars are a little crunchier and the music sounds weightier. The songs are less content to exist as backgrounds for the DuPrees' lovely voices; song structures on pieces like "I Could Be There for You" stay fresh and unpredictable after more than a few listens. And yet there's no fat here, with no track exceeding four minutes. That economy of sound helps Eisley get a lot of range on a song like "Taking Control," which opens with a gorgeous verse, shifts into a blink-and-you'll-miss-it bridge and--bam!--we're onto the chorus. The whole thing takes exactly 26 seconds. It's a little scary how young they are relative to their songwriting chops. Listening to Eisley is fun now, but even more fun when you consider their through-the-roof potential. --Matthew Cooke

ROOM NOISES  >>

Eisley's debut full-length Room Noises is exactly what fans of their 2003 EPs Laughing City and Marvelous Things were hoping for--a shimmering, bittersweet blast. Concocted by three sisters, their brother, and their best friend, the band's sound recalls the melodic whimsy of artists like The Cardigans, Belly and The Sundays. Their take is more straightforward though, as bright moods light up even the most plaintive ballads; the minor chords of "Lost At Sea," for instance, get cracked open by Sherri and Staci DuPree's crystalline tandem vocals, allowing one of the record's many glittery hooks to burst through. It's like that all the way in fact, as song after song gives birth to a new earworm. The drawback is a lack of diversity which keeps those sunny, delicious moments from having the impact they should. Part of the blame lies with the too-clean production, which you can hear the band trying to break out of here and there (listen to the warped beginning to "Plenty of Paper"). But there's no need to be perfect straight out of the gate, and there are worse things than listening to a band play to their strengths. -Matthew Cooke