The Rest - Everyone All At Once

This is going to be one of my semi-usual posts that is way late in coming.  Sometimes, I wait really long to do a post because the music completely sucks.  So I wait in the hopes that it’ll grow on me.

Such is definitely not the case with The Rest’s album Everyone All At Once.  This is one of the freshest, coolest, hippest albums I’ve heard in a while.  I’ve been enjoying it ever since the guys in the band sent it to me.

I feel bad that I’ve had it for… oh 2 months or more and haven’t shared it with you all.  So today, I’m freeing myself from all that piled-up emotional guilt.  After this post is up, I’ll be able to sleep again.

What exactly held me back so long?  I don’t know, and that’s what annoys me more than anything.  This is an incredible album that I should have put up here the day I first heard it.

Well enough of my deep confessions.  The Rest is made up of Adam Bentley, Anna Jarvis, Blake Bowman, Dwayne Brydon, Jordan Mitchell, Matty Buzanko, Steve Jones.  It’s a huge band with an equally huge sound.  At times, there are so many instruments playing different parts that they sound like a full-fledged orchestra.  At other times, they’re subdued and laid back with a dreamy 60s folk vibe.

Man, there are so many good songs on this album.  You know how when you listen to an album, there are normally a few songs you just don’t like?  On this album, there are only lines and musical phrases I don’t like.

The album opens with the eery and powerful “Coughing Blood.”  This is one of my favorite songs on the album.  It starts with slow and moody cello, which fades out and allows an equally moody acoustic guitar to take center stage.  After some plaintive cries, the music builds in intensity as drums, more guitars, and other instruments are added to the mix.  Finally, at about 4:38, the song reaches its climax and then slowly fades out again.  It’s like the best parts of Arcade Fire, Explosions in the Sky, Flowers of Hell, and Sufjan Stevens all collided together for this song.

A lot of the songs on the album have that Arcade Fire / Flowers of Hell feel, and that’s definitely not a bad thing.  Just listen to “Modern Time Travel” or “Walk on Water”.  Though they flow in a similar vein to “Coughing Blood,” they each have their place in the album.  ”Modern Time Travel” is somewhat more peaceful and dreamy, and “Walk on Water” is a frenetic jaunt of intense musical variety.  In the middle of the song, there’s a sudden musical shift for about 30 seconds, and the whole song is a swirling maze of sounds.

Besides the intense orchestral songs, there’s the sweet and innocent “Sheep in Wolves’ Clothing,” the musically schizophrenic “Phonetically, Phonetically,” and the sad and haunting “Drinking Again.”  There’s the almost whimsical “Blossom Babies Part Two” and the catchy and singable “Everything All At Once.”

All in all, this is an outstanding album.  The songs are similar enough to each other to resist the scattered feel that many albums have.  The album feels like a single unit and not just a collection of various odds and ends.  The album flows amazingly well and feels very mature in its sound.

If you’re in the mood for something new and completely awesome, give this album a look.  I think you’ll like it.

I do have to make one disclaimer, since I usually post music by Christian artists here.  The guys of The Rest make no claims to being Christians, and while I didn’t hear any offensive lyrics, you never know.  Chances are, though, if you like to read my blog, you’re used to being offended.  Or you don’t care.

Well, either way, this album is definitely worth checking out.

Hope you dig these two tracks of The Rest’s new album Everyone All At Once:

Coughing Blood - Download - Stream
The Lady Vanishes - Download - Stream

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Website: www.therestmusic.com

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