So I have been obsessing over this band lately. THRIVING IVORY. I even wrote about it in the AUB student newspaper (Outlook) a couple of weeks before.
You can download their debut self-titled album here. The album is mainly Piano Rock and Alternative. Below is the article I wrote.
This five-piece band challenges one of the 10 Commandments of Rock: "Thou shall not prefer pianos to guitars." But on Thriving Ivory, the group latches onto one soaring mid-tempo rocker after another, as their lead singer Clayton Stroope serenades his eternally broken heart over keyboards, bolstered by guitars and strings. While they share some similarities with the Coldplay modern-rock crowd, the band pulls off the tricky proposition of being sensitive without slipping into utter wimpiness.
Not surprisingly, much of the material on Thriving Ivory has to do with love – often, Stroope is either pining for a girl who dumped him or dealing with an unhappy relationship, about ready to go south. The album’s opener, "Runaway", sets the tone. Borrowing the searching tone of U2’s grand "Where the Streets Have No Name," Runaway finds Stroope counting stars and journaling his thoughts, hoping to find contentment after a series of disappointments. Scott Jason’s hopeful keyboards and Drew Cribley’s forceful guitars underscore the singer’s determination to find a fresh start and the song is just one of many on the album which tries to counteract sadness with swelling choruses.
"Twilight" is a quicker paced, less repetitive, and quite catchy tune. The best part of the song would be the simple, yet elegant piano that fits quite well with the tone of the song. This song can be seen being featured prominently in movies and television, if ever released as a single.
"Alien" is the most personal song in the album, according to Keyboard player Scott Jason. "That song is about my brother. And my brother, he's a brilliant, brilliant, brilliant kid, a full scholarship to Berkeley, and he's gone through some pretty heavy stuff. So that song is really personal," he said.
All in all, this band has a great future heading their way, especially since piano-rock is not very common these days and there's a high chance of huge success for their upcoming album.
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