eight chances - grey

Eight Chances

Grey
self-released; 2013

3.6 out of 5

By Demeria HArris

When you first press play and begin to listen to any one of Eight Chances’ songs, you likely won’t believe it is the result of a one-woman band – but believe it or not, these impressive songs are just a portion of what she’s been working on for the past few years. Incorporating some alternative rock, some electronica and some industrial along with stunning vocals, Eight Chances delivers the kind of music on her album Grey that would send underground rock fans in a spiraling tizzy of excitement. 

“Smile” is an interesting song. It toes the line of acid jazz type vocals layered over groovy rock with the chemically straight edge of industrial music. The piano is a welcome addition, used to sand down and soften the otherwise rough edges. This is sharp music played with an adept and gentle touch. “If” begins sounding more like pop rock than anything else, with some intergalactic tones mixed with an almost Oriental riff pattern adapted to fit the overall aura of the music. This could likely be the radio hit, with its catchy chorus.

I can hear the Puscifer vibes in “Who,” with some really grungy guitar chords to boot. I was interested in the first two songs, but this is the one that really sold me, with notes and sounds that very quickly got stuck in my head. I know that I’ll be returning to this one later to listen again, as it really captured my attention in a very good way. 

“Leech” has its ominous moments, mixed with persistent galloping sounds, and combined with just enough sweet melody to make a power trio. I liked how each part played the same melody but in varying degrees of severity and tone to add thickness and depth to the song.

“Never” is more parts alternative rock than the other songs, though the sensual melody and hard edge industrial tint remain. This song hits harder than the others as well, as though she simply threw the ingredients into the bowl rather than carefully measuring proportion. The result was an intense song that was a great way to close out my listening experience.

This is music for those who like to step outside the box, particularly fans of extremely catchy-even-though-I-can’t-explain-why music. I know I’ll be listening to a few of these songs later on – so definitely check this out.

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