Shapeshifter

The Ease Down's first effort is an interesting blend of jazz, rock, and pop. On the plus side, the sound quality is excellent, the artists obviously talented, the songs high-energy, and the tunes catchy.

However, the downside is that for an album called "Shapeshifter", the songs are remarkably similar. The driving piano beats rarely change, the songs often follow a predictable formula, and particularly on a first listen it is difficult to tell which song is which (when I first heard it, I didn't notice when the first track switched to the second because they sounded so similar).

That said, this is well worth a listen. If you absolutely love this band's sound, then you will undoubtedly like the whole album. Additionally, Shapeshifter would make a nice addition to a rock/pop mix to jazz things up a bit. Listening to it straight through gets somewhat repetitive, but if The Ease Down is able to introduce more variety into their sound their next effort will definitely be worth looking into.

The first track (Heavy Hopes) is an excellent example of the band's general sound, and the second half of the album contains some more varied takes on the general theme.

Got to hand it to Ben Wilkins! He is a first rate musical talent, sophisticated lyricist and songwriter. Take a listen to Sentimental Famine. It's a song about a couple that no longer have feelings for each other. It would be a cheap way out to simply make a song about the emotions of the present, but Wilkins tells a story, handles it delicately, and the overall emotional impact is remarkable.

I agree with George the Flea's point that there is a lot of seeming repetition, the driving piano primarily, but there is also a good deal of variety. The overall jazzy sound is enjoyable, you might just want to break the album up and listen to a few songs at a time.

Even if it's not my most favorite kind of music, I have to say, this piece is simply well done. Thanks for sharing! And probably if I listen more often to it, I'll get used to it ;)

(The audio quality of this recording is really very well.)