It’s a bit of a dreary day up here in Minneapolis. It has me in a cozy mood and a mood that is making it hard to focus on work so let’s dig into some of this music that has been sitting on my desk for months starting with ‘No Longer Dreaming’ from Broken Soldiers.
This five-song EP kicks off with “Subconscious”. Other-worldy layers of beautiful and intricate instrumentation get it started before almost electronic-based vocals come in and take over. A little spoken word but with an almost auto-tune element to them, I was intrigued by this opening track. This is a super wordy track which I really loved. It felt a bit like a stream of consciousness type writing style which relates back to the song title perfectly. Although the overall vibe of this track isn’t something I typically get into, I found myself oddly captivated by this opening track and anxious to see what else would come with this quick EP.
“The Idealist” has a cool piano part that pulls you into the track before the vocals come in. A little less of a robotic quality to them, I loved the amount of passion and emotion that came with the vocals. Although there were points where I felt like the voice was a bit out of tune, I also felt like that was just part of the charm of Broken Soldiers. As if embodying the emotion in the words and instrumentation, there were moments when it felt like the voice was breaking down and breaking up in a very gorgeous way. This undeniable sense of emotion continues into “Far From Home”. The lyrics take a super dark turn in this track while still keeping with that stream of consciousness heard in “Subconscious”. It’s interesting and a very heavy track to start before Casio keyboard-sounding keys come in and lighten the mood a bit.
Nearing the end of the journey that is ‘No Longer Dreaming’, “Empty Room” drops the overly moody vibe felt in the previous tracks and brings a sense of power and almost aggression to the table. Even with this shift in mood, the Casio keyboard-based sound reigns supreme and, I have to be honest, by the time this track hit, I was a bit over it and found the metallic sound to be a bit overwhelming and, well, obnoxious. Thankfully, that sound takes a backseat for the final track, “Say You’re Here”, which brings back the undeniable emotion within Broken Soldiers’ music.
Although I don’t see myself listening to Broken Soldiers on a daily basis, I absolutely appreciated the raw lyricism of this act. Sure, the instrumentation could use a real live band instead of just presets on a keyboard but, when you take that away, you are left with some true heart-on-your-sleeve words presented with so much passion and heart that it’s impossible to hate Broken Soldiers.
My Favorite Track(s): “The Idealist”
For Fans Of: Casio Keyboards; Lyrics
Mosh-ability: 1 out of 10
What My Cats Thought Of It: Both cats slept upstairs
How Badly I Want To See This Performed Live: 2 out of 10
My Overall Rating: 4.8 out of 10
Check Out Broken Soldiers Here:
Check Out ‘No Longer Dreaming’ HERE!
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