Search - Aloha :: Here Comes Everyone

Criminally underrated!

S. Bricker | Pittsburgh, PA | 06/14/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Not since The Shins has a band referenced so many brilliant bands of the past + present (in Aloha's case: ELO, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Elton John (Goodbye Yellow Brick Road/Madman Across the Water), Yes, Talk Talk, Tortoise + Radiohead) while sounding entirely unique. Dreamy, yet urgent - listening to Here Comes Everyone, one can't help but feel nostalgic for their childhood, road trips, and lost love, while being instilled with a passion to keep making memories.



This album has so many hooks you'll be humming them for days. Much more Rock/Pop (at times math-rock/prog rock) oriented than their previous efforts, yet Aloha doesn't give up their complex arrangements. On the contrary, these songs have levels of tracks and nuances that you'll be discovering even after a dozen listens. Cavallario's vocals are at their strongest referencing the vocal stylings and range of Thom Yorke, Jeff Buckley, and Carl Newman from New Pornographers. His guitar playing has reached new levels of skill + confidence as he solos on a handful of the songs. Cale Parks and T.J. Lipple's percussion arrangements are nothing short of brilliant. Matthew Gengler's bass playing reminds me of Radiohead's Colin Greenwood - beautiful, melodic jazz-oriented bass-lines that at times are even minimal/sparse to let other parts of the song shine through.



Here Comes Everyone needs to be heard. It would be a shame for it to go the way of Talk Talk's Laughing Stock and Spirit of Eden. Both groundbreaking/brilliant records that went unlistened to for years. This record will stand the test of time and will be referenced for years to come."

5 for being something different, 4 for the actual delivery

wadrad | Land of Bitburger, Bratwurst, und Lederhosen | 02/26/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This puppy was a totally blind purchase based on some CNN review (I think) about the best bands of 2004 that you'll never hear, and it was quite the pleasant surprise.



Where do I start? Okay, as much I like this, I'm not crazy about every single tune. I still haven't decided if I really like the voice of the vocalist, but he is semi-appealing and heartfelt in his delivery. He sort of reminds me of a strange fusion of the guy who sang "Mad World" off the Donnie Darko soundtrack (which was surprisingly a hit in Europe but not so much in the states), the Radiohead vocalist (Thom Yorke?), and the guy who sang for Semisonic. Lyrics on the tunes aren't typical pop-radio fair which is WAY nice, and they do hold your interest a bit.



Arrangements are way cool. They throw a lot of elements into the tunes that you don't hear so much nowadays. Electric pianos, clavs, bells, and harpsichords all layered in with the more traditional rock-ish guitar, bass, and drums mix. Some of the songs have touches of indie-rock, late 60's pop-rock, and even a touch of psychedelic or prog rock (and I swear I hear the ghost of 70's Todd Rundgren in there some place). Take all that and salt and pepper it with even more random elements, and you might have a minimal idea how this music works. Some of the songs are hummable, and some aren't, but it's still pretty interesting given today's music climate.



All in all, a pretty decent effort. If you like music that's not strictly following the "latest thing", then this is definitely one to consider. Again, the music doesn't blow me away, but the fact that it's even going in this direction is WAY refreshing..."

One of the Best Bands Around Right Now.

Erik Norman | Illinois | 08/29/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first heard of Aloha when one of my roommates bought this CD at a local record store because it was compared to Radiohead (I guess I kinda see the comparison), and the first couple times I heard it I thought it was pretty darn good. It was about the fourth or fifth time that I completely fell in love with this CD. It's been in pretty constant rotation ever since. I've purchased all of their CDs (except their debut EP) and while they are all really good (particularly "Sugar"), none of them seem to possess the same magic as this wonderful release.



Some personal favorite songs of mine are the openning "All The Wars" with its rocking drum intro, neat guitar line, and catchy vocal melody. "You've Escaped" is a beautiful ballad and "Boys in the Bathtub" just rocks so hard. I love that riff in 7/8 that is featured so prominantly on that song. Also, "I Don't Know What Else To Do" is a really cool song with a simple but effective bass groove and weird retro-60's keyboard parts in the chorus. Those songs particularly stand out to me, but IMHO there is not a bad song on this album. It's a winner from beginning to end.



If I had to catagorize this band, I would start by referencing 70's prog rock (think Yes, Genesis, King Crimson) but much more warmer and intimate. They got the chops, but they don't let them get in the way of emotional expression and setting a relaxing mood. There is also some 60's pop (Beatles, Beach Boys) and 90's post-rock (Tortoise). Everyone in the band is obviously very virtuistic at their respective instruments, yet they don't let their egos get in the way of songcraft. Also, I think Tony's voice is wonderful. Someone he reminds me quite a bit of (yet I've never seen this comparison mentioned before) is Adrian Belew from the 80's incarnation of King Crimson. Take Adrian Belew, add a dash of Jeff Buckley, and maybe a little (just a little) Thom Yorke and you'd have a pretty good idea of his voice.



I also had the pleasure of seeing them live in Chicago a couple of weeks ago, and let me tell you... these guys put on an AMAZING live show. Very energetic and engaging. I feel that this band is fated to explode pretty soon. Everyone that I play this CD for seems to really like it. It's only a matter of time before the small fanbase that they have right now spreads the word to enough people and these guys become huge (at lease huge enough to bring more than ~200 people to a show in Chicago). Bottom line, if you haven't heard this amazing release yet, do yourself the favor and pick it up (especially for the low price Amazon is selling it for). You won't be disappointed."