 The
Stairs
"Miraculous Happens" CD
Summer
Is Loaded Music
Genres: indie pop, experimental pop
May 24 - 30 2004 |
As the press sheet stresses, this is a very busy album. The Stairs
have put a lot of work into Miraculous Happens, packing it with
countless layers of sound and dozens upon dozens of melodies and
hooks. In many ways, this extensive sonic experiment is like The
Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour. The band has added sitar,
harmonica, choir, and even a high school marching band into the mix on
this disc, which (understandably) took two years to create. And, while
some of this release's best moments are its more minimal, there is
certainly something to be said about the sheer amount of work and
organization that went into the creation of these songs.
Listening to Miraculous Happens, it's abundantly clear that
this disc is not going to appeal to everyone. It takes a serious indie
pop lover to truly appreciate the type of eclectic, untraditional
music The Stairs perform. Even a relatively unspectacular tune
like "Queen of Mixed Signals" is drenched in multiple pop
hooks and countless layers of sound - there's plenty of melody to
enjoy, although the busy, jam-packed song structure can be
overwhelming, and the tune does seem to go on a bit longer than it
needs to (a common problem on this fifteen-track, seventy-four minute
album). On the other end of the spectrum, we have "Quiet
Girl," which the band itself proclaims to be "a soon to be
discovered dance hall hit." It's a decent tune, drowning in
electronic elements and a flourishing trumpet part; while it's far
from 'dance hall' or 'hit' territory, it's got a nice, simple melody
and could be worth a listen or two. Finally, in an entirely different
vein, there is the finale - a simple, quiet lullaby entitled "Let
Me Sleep," which is a successfully soft piece of pretty pop not
far out of Low and Mojave 3 territory.
The Stairs' Miraculous Happens is a unique and
pleasant disc, although it may be a bit crowded for some tastes. This
is worth a try, just don't come into it expecting a homogenous, simple
pop record; you'll surely be disappointed.
83%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 15 tracks + 1 hidden, distributed by the
band, released 2002] |
