And Then There Were None- Who Speaks For Planet Earth?

To start off this review, the first thing I have to say is that I am not a techno/dance/electric fan at all. Joy Electric, Depeche Mode--not my thing. But, And Then There Were None (ew, double conjunction), being one of the newest band to sign with the amazingness that is Tooth & Nail Records, caught my attention with their song "Action is the Antedote" when it was previewed on the T&N podcast back in November. At first I listened to it, liked it, but then I started listening to it more, and then more, and then just listened to it over and over for a while; and that's when I realized I liked this band.

Now what, may you ask, is a dance act doing in a Christian rock blog? Well, ATTWN does have a few rock qualities mixed with their beats, and if I stepped out of my comfort zone to go buy a dance album, so can you. Plus, I really think this band deserves the attention.

Their debut, Who Speaks For Planet Earth opens with a forty-second static-filled intro, leading into "John Orr the Arsonist." Like many of the tracks on the album, some of the words become a bit difficult to understand when lead singer Matt Rhoades's voice is distorted for effect, but when his vocals are untampered, they reveal a very nice, high-pitched, punky voice. The next song on the album, "The Hospital," was a big disappointment to me, not even comparing to "Reinventing Robert Cohn" and "Action..." after I had heard those songs debuted on ATTWN's Purevolume page. With ATTWN, it seems, their music is either hit or miss, great or just strange. Since then, "Hospital" has grown on me, but it is still a strange kind of liking (kind of like how I like Capital Lights--I hate that I love them). "The Atmosphere" is a phenomenal song, but it seems like it would fit better with the band's previous style of metal-core. The cover of "Right Here Waiting" is slightly cheesy and non-fitting with the rest of the album. Now... "Thank the Watchmaker." "...Watchmaker" is another fantastic song from ATTWN, its name relating to the statement that without a watchmaker, there is no possible way there could be a watch. God is the Watchmaker, creating us to have a purpose in life--demonstrating that things do not happen by chance. The lyrics are great, and the opening and the verses sound perfect, it's just that the chorus does not fit the rest of the song in tempo or emotion. But besides that, "Watchmaker" is one of the best tracks on the album. "The Alamo" opening shows a bit of ATTWN's rock side. The background vocals that are shown in this song more than the others are a little weak and boring, but, oddly, sound well with Matt's voice.

The debut ends with the strangely titled "Insozzz...", bringing a very different--yet extremely fun album unlike anything I've ever heard to a close.