Artist: Walk Off The Earth
Album: R.E.V.O.
Release Date: March 19
Label: Columbia Records
Grade: B+
When five-piece indie band Walk Off The Earth uploaded their cover of Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" to YouTube last year, they didn't expect such an overwhelming response. The video of the members singing the pop hit while all playing on a lone acoustic guitar climbed to over 35 million views in under two weeks, leading to a flood of media interest.
The best part about Walk Off The Earth is that the band doesn't fit into one specific genre, and all of the members play more than one instrument. Their tracks incorporate the ukulele, the tambourine, drums and the theremin - an instrument that emits bending, eerie electronic pitches without physical contact.
Walk Off The Earth certainly bends genre expectations with R.E.V.O., the band's newest album.
Independently, Walk Off The Earth has previously released two albums, titled Smooth Like Stone on a Beach and My Rock, as well as two cover albums. The band's amount of Facebook "likes" quickly increased as new fans listened to original material and the band's covers of songs, such as "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO, "Roll Up" by Wiz Khalifa and Taylor Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble."
R.E.V.O. encompasses the band's rise to recognition and establishes the group as a force to be reckoned with.
Title track "R.E.V.O." and current single "Red Hands" open the album on a strong note. The blending of all five members' vocals mixed with a banjo and solid percussion embodies the eclectic style of Walk Off The Earth. Hearing pop elements, rock elements and country tones in one song is alarming, but it changes the game of what's popular.
While the album holds your attention and brings wishes of warm weather and summer concerts with tracks such as "These Times" and "Summer Vibes," some songs aren't as powerful.
"Speeches" rips chords straight from Mumford & Son's "Little Lion Man" in the beginning. While flattering, the creativity on this song was lackluster and did not contribute to the overall feel of the album.
"Speeches" then progresses into "Sometimes," which introduces rap into the jigsaw that is Walk Off The Earth. Sure it's groundbreaking and different, but why does the rap part have a fake Jamaican accent?
R.E.V.O is a new benchmark that the members of Walk Off The Earth have set for themselves. Don't be surprised if you hear the album blasting somewhere this summer.
Email: arts@ubspectrum.com
