Between The Trees – The Story And The Song

Artist: Between The Trees
Album: The Story & The Song
Label: Bonded Records
Purchase: Amazon.com or Itunes
Release Date: October 31, 2006

Overall: 9.4
Music: 9.3
Lyrics: 9.5
Production: 9.0

First and foremost, I will take any opportunity to plug organizations that are making an impact and this is no exception. To Write Love On Her Arms is one that is waging a war against depression and cutting through the antitode of love. The story and history of it can be read on their page. How that relates to this review is that Between The Trees is one of the first of many bands who now support TWLOHA. (The list includes Thrice, Copeland, Switchfoot, Paramore, Anberlin, Underoath, Brightwood & more each day.) Hearing that BTT had written two songs on their record for TWLOHA, I wanted to hear them and checked out their myspace. Finding out they had won their way into a set at the Bamboozle Left Festival I was attending, I requested the record and caught their set.

Between The Trees has crafted one of the most mature & fulfilling albums released this year. Anyone who knows me can vouch that I am absolutely obsessed with this band after only a few weeks. With a mean age of 19, I can hardly believe that someone my age is involved in a band like this, let alone the entire band. The flavor they have tastes a bit like The Fray, Melee & Sherwood swirled together, mix in a vocalist that easily can keep up with all three of those bands, and you have something really special.

Of the 11 songs, I don’t hear a single weak track. There’s no difference in quality of song-writing or musicianship from the start to the finish. Also, there are no filler tracks. I mentioned earlier a song written for To Write Love On Her Arms, which is track three. Lyrically, I can’t even conceive how it could’ve been written with more passion or honesty. ‘The Greatest Of These’ is beautiful lyrically and shows the collective talents of the band as musicians. ‘Darlin’ captures the beauty of beginning a relationship, ‘She Is’ is a tribute that I wish I would have written to my well-deserving mother. ‘You Cry A Tear To Start A River’ is a little different from the rest of the record and reminds me a lot of The Format.
Now, no record is perfect, and as close as this one comes, everyone makes mistakes. First of these would be the use of programming and synth. On a couple of the tracks it’s just not consistent enough. While it’s not noticeable unless you focus on it, I’m struggling to find something other than praise to say for this CD. Second, would have to be that White Lines & Red Lights should have been the first track on this record. While The Forward is an amazing song, the beginning to White Lines is a perfect introduction to this CD as a whole.
I don’t even feel like I need to sell it to you. This band is adept at creating music that will satisfy many different types of listeners, and it should only be a short time before they jump to a major label. If you’re a major, and you want the next breakthrough band, look no further. Between The Trees is not just another band adding to the noise, they are equipped to take over, and by this time next year I believe they will have done it. The Story & The Song is just the beginning.

Track Listing:
1. The Forward
2. White Lines & Red Lights
3. The Way She Feels
4. Words
5. The Greatest of These (A Little Love)
6. Darlin’
7. A Time for Yohe
8. She is…
9. Fairweather
10. The Fort
11. You Cry A Tear to Start Another River