Album Review: Don't Wake Aislin - Everyone Has A Story... EP

From Austin, TX comes alternative Christian rock five-piece, Don't Wake Aislin. Their latest offering is titled 'Everyone Has A Story...', a 5-track EP combining uplifting lyrics with a hard rock edge. Opening track, 'Clear Skies Are Hard To Find' subtly comes in with a soft piano before bursting into a fast guitar riff and sweet vocals from Deena Jakoub. On first impression, the track comes across as a middle-of-the-road rock-pop number, but its strong melody and the occasional back vocal stream, add an extra element to the track.

'I'll Take On More Than One' makes good use of Jakoub's vocals, as she leads the track through with soaring vocals and compliments the band's edgy rock sound. Add to this nice production work, and you are left with an all-round decent track.

Whereas 'Our Voices Are Vices' is soft and haunting with a ballad-like vocal delivery, that builds up to a strong full-band performance with soaring guitars taking the lead. 'Mighty To Save' is perhaps the heaviest number on here, with drums that dominate. However the addition of echoed vocals and subtle electronic effects, provide another dynamic to the bands sound.

'...How It Ends Is Up To You' ends the EP, despite being a live acoustic track it could be considered a throwaway track. However it shows the bands ability to strip down a track and pull it off well.

On the whole Don't Wake Aislin do not have the most original ideas, but they make good use with what they do have. As they have the talent to move on and build up momentum. However I'm unsure if female-fronted pop-rock bands are still flavour of the month, but they do have the possibility to move way from being labelled as one of those bands. Promising but not yet fulfilling their potential.

3/5

'Everyone Has A Story...' EP by Don't Wake Aislin is available now.

Don't Wake Aislin on MySpace

Sean Reid