Battle of the roses - Elephant Eye

Battle of the Roses

Elephant Eye
self-released; 2014

3.5 out of 5

By Demiera Harris 

If vector grunge were a genre of music, I think Battle of the Roses’ Elephant Eye EP would be the perfect sound for it: it’s colorful, it varies in line depth and direction and you can find yourself staring at (listening to?) it very deeply for far longer than you initially expected.

The “Introduction” starts off hauntingly, with sirens screaming in the background leading into the very deep and heavy sound of “A City is a Shelter.” I am drawn into the funky, old school style, with the emphasis on more of the bass and drums. Not only is the beat fun and catchy, but also the lyrics are interesting and the vocal delivery is perfect for the overall sound. 

“The Quiet Before” is deliciously grungy and contains a much larger dose of rock, with crashing cymbals and a thick guitar line. It leads into the title track, laid back “Elephant Eye,” a song made extremely powerful by the soaring violin that weaves throughout the song brightening the atmosphere in a paradoxically sad way. 

This is a bass heavy EP, and I don’t mean 808s-radio rap ‘bass heavy’; the strings are skillfully plucked and the bass carries a melody of its own, capturing the focal point of the album and really holding most of my attention throughout. It fleshes out the album’s character quite well, giving it that extra bit of soul that makes it stand out from other albums. 

I wasn’t planning on listening to this at the exact time that I did, as I was still in exploration mode when I heard it, but the beginning notes were so intriguing that I couldn’t help but listen all the way through to the end. The mix of soul plus the heaviness of rock made this a really enjoyable listen, even with only four songs, and I highly suggest anyone who can get their hands on this gives it a chance. 

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