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Written by Michelle Blumsack Tuesday, 01 August 2006 05:19

"It's like Dante and subways and words left in the air/you've got to go underground if you want to get anywhere."

 

It is rare that an unknown band can convince me of their potential with the first song on an album. Usually it takes at least a few tracks before bands can overcome my "I haven't heard of you" skepticism. But Roman Candle manages to smoothly combine so many familiar elements from their more well-known pop-rock predecessors that I was instantly interested, comfortable, and zealously nodding my head from the very first track.

The Wee Hours Revue is actually is a re-release of an album the band recorded for Hollywood Records in 2002, Says Pop, which for some reason never made it into stores. Some musicians are lucky to get even one big break in the music business, but Roman Candle has gotten two, probably due to their undeniably universal appeal. Their sound combines the chill pop-rock groove of bands like Train and Maroon 5 with the edge and complexity of bands like the Smashing Pumpkins and the Black Crowes.

Roman Candles' talents reach beyond the music itself. The band's lyrics stand alone as exhibits of artistic creativity. They manage to be extremely creative and interesting while telling stories of common experience and universal emotion. For example, on "From an Airplane Window," we're told, "It's like Dante and subways and words left in the air/you've got to go underground if you want to get anywhere."