After what many thought to be an indefinite hiatus, during which band members have pursued other side projects such as The Amity Affliction and Deez Nuts, The Getaway Plan have reconvened to record the follow up to 2008’s debut Other Voices, Other Rooms. Requiem is that follow up.
Opening with the dramatic and emotional “The Reckoning”, the band are very much re-exploring what has made them such a strong act and highly popular with their fans. As a comparison on a musical plane, imagine the members of My Chemical Romance and Muse going on an absinthe bender together. They have that same almost at times over the top and operatic sense of emotion and sound to them, combining some beautiful pop elements, such as the gorgeous piano line weaving its way through “Phantoms”, with some of the more crunchy rock elements of some of their contemporaries.
Unfortunately, this heightened sense of emotion both sonically and lyrically is hard to keep up for the entire duration of the album. That sense of focus, on tracks such as “Move Along” and “Heartstone”, does lag and drop off somewhat. However, the excellent “Oceans Between Us” and the title track, which closes the album, redress this in a highly satisfying manner.
Requiem is a solid example of pop/rock in 2011 and a great second album from the band. Tracks such as “Flying Colours” and “S.T.A.R.S” stick with you long after you’ve first heard them, drawing you back for another listen or two. There is a sense of complexity, both lyrical and musical, that beautifully reveales itself on subsequent listens on Requiem.
The band are touring Australia at the end of this month/early December. It will be interesting to see how the dense and complex sounds of Requiem translate to a live format.
– Neil Evans
