Album Review: Take One Car - When Ceiling Hits The Floor

Hailing from New York, there’s something a bit different about Take One Car and their debut album ‘When Ceiling Hits The Floor.’ With fusion being a key aspect to the record, the band pioneer an interesting contrast between American indie and experimental rock, with fascinating results.

Sounding something a bit like At The Drive-In’s younger brother, the band have a ferocious sound and a real force behind each delivery. While singer Tyler Irish may not have the most powerful vocals, the arrangement and musical ability of each track proves to be the bands real strength.

The band demonstrate a real raw, colouring outside the lines feel to them. The intensity behind certain tracks is immense, as well crafted build ups sneak up on you, and are then released with real prowess, such as is displayed in tracks, ‘Hello Hollow Eyes’ and ‘Jesus Symbiote’. On the slower tracks Take One Car really come to life, with the haunting guitar arrangement and melancholic vocals displayed in, ‘The Entropy Sequence’ proving irresistible. This said, it perhaps is when being most ambient that Take One Car are at their best, ‘Pg. 67’ is a purely instrumental affair, but is an absolute thrill to listen to.

While ‘When Ceiling Hits The Floor’ does hit all the right buttons, the record doesn’t stray too far from anything you’ve heard before. It’s an experimental album which isn’t actually being particularly experimental, with certain tracks echoing rather similar sounds to the likes of Fall Of Troy or Manchester Orchestra. The rawness, which for the most part does give a real freshness to the bands sound, can occasionally sound simply under-produced. With moments such as the repetition towards the end of ‘Melk’ seeming somewhat superfluousand pushing too hard for that ambient sound.

With all this in tow, Take One Car have still produced an exhilarating, punchy debut record. The band offer up enthusiasm and an energy which if carried through to the band’s live performance should make them an invigorating act to watch, and should be the envy of all bands young or old. If the band manage to obtain their raw and fresh sound they could really be a force to be reckoned with leading into 2010.

3.5/5

Take One Car on MySpace

Tom Shepherd