We Are I: We Are I (EP)

Genre: Modern Rock/Hardcore
Label: Independent

We Are I is one of those strange named bands who really won me over with their self-titled second EP. Produced by Anthony J. Resta (Megadeth, Shawn Mullins, Collective Soul, Nuno Bettencourt), the rock quartet from Boston, Massachusetts really show a love and joy for rock music. Their melodies entwine acoustic and hard rock formats with faultless lines. They have chunky rhythms are fortified by solid harmonies in their instrument patterns and vocal structures. The chord movements have exciting changes and dynamics that swell and recede with rhythmic throbbing. We Are I play tight. Everyone's parts work towards being in rhythm with each other. Their music is rousing and collaborative and even gives their audiences a chance to be involved in their music.

One of the best tools a band has to entice audience involvement in their music is with their lyrics, and We Are I use their lyrics to engage audience members. In the song "Inside," lead vocalist Jay Staples pours out, "No matter what you hide/ Your life is still inside you.You know I see inside/ The dreams you're feeling." The words denote wanting to have the life that's locked up inside ones heart. The lyrical phrases make it possible for the band and audience to identify with each other even though they lead separate lives. We Are I uses their lyrics to connect with their audience on a deeper plane. Their lyrics motivate fans to take an active role in their choices and draw them away from pitying themselves, which stems from the band's own philosophy about life.

Lead guitarist Rich Chamberland told in a recent press release, "We always seem to beat the odds and get on with it. It's been a struggle, but when it really gets touch is when everybody comes together the most and we pull it off."

That impetus for picking themselves up by their boot straps is We Are I's game plan about life and it reflects in their music. The build ups and slopes of their melodic drawings mirror what life does to people. Their music has features of modern rock influences comparable to Tantric and Papa Roach, hardcore aspects with the velocity of Chevelle and Slipknot, and facets of acoustic rock that recall Shinedown and Days Of The New. Tracks like "One Choice" and "Inside" has a stock of acoustic and hard rock verses injected periodically which create intensity in their textures. The drumbeats produced by WAI's drummer Ralph Arsenault are stoked by the bass knolls clamped by WAI's Keenan Waken and accelerates the rhythmic fervor and bulks up the music's amplification. Staples vocals are sturdy and flexible as he interlaces them with the bends and arcs in the movements.

Unique to We Are I is that all of the musicians sing backup vocals as well as play their instruments so there is a collaborative effect going on through the verses and a build up the energy. "Sorry" is mobilized by flurries of guitars and "Portrait" oozes of nu metal tunage as the vocal resonance is long and drawn out over the rhythmic columns. The vocals on "She" move right into the grooves and strengthen the music's hardcore gears while the final track "End Of The Line' has a fluxing action liken to System Of A Down.

We Are I makes rock music that is exciting and grinds all their factors into their driving rhythms. Their collaborations build inertia, make dynamic shifts in their velocity, and fuels adrenaline in both themselves and their audience. Their use of acoustic and hard rock segments add texture and vitality to their songs which are always in motion. Their movements never reach a stagnate state and keep everything propelling in motion. Like the band's philosophy about life, as long as they pull together they can get through any impasse. What is very impressive about this band is how much they each believe in one another and it shows in their music for their latest release, a self-titled EP. The EP is the sequel to their 2004 debut EP Off The Hook.

Added: May 3rd 2007
Reviewer: Susan Frances
Score:
Related Link: Visit We Are I Online
Hits: 1979
Language: english