Engineers-S/T: Ease It Down-To A Better Place.

Band: Engineers Album: Engineers Date of Release: 2005 Genre: Shoegaze, Dream Pop, Indie Rock Score: 9.6 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Engineers debut album is a shining example of what nu-gaze as a movement accomplished in its first few years of existence. It is a deeply textured, wonderfully inspired, and immensely atmospheric album drawing influence from the Post-Britpop tendencies of bands like Keane, Doves, and Early Coldplay as well as influences from the then strong Post-Punk Revival scene which bands like Interpol and The Strokes dominated. Take into account the obvious My Bloody Valentine influence that most Shoegaze bands have and you have a very strong line up of influence going into this album that ultimately pays off in a deeply memorable way. The album prides itself on being accessible and melodic, but not to a critical detriment. The way in which this melodic style pans out over the 49 minute runtime of the album is the huge selling point of the album actually. Like their contemporaries Doves, melody on Engineers blossoms out of the washed out atmosphere of the album rather than melody creating the atmosphere itself. Melody for the band becomes simply another way to present climaxed moments of well structured songs that pride themselves on being slow late-night burners. This can be heard in action throughout the album but particularly strong on the albums focus song and lead single 'Come In Out Of The Rain'. From the get go the song makes fantastic use of of dreamy synth pads, creating a rhythmic and mechanical song that hardly feels like one. The sound is comparable to what I imagine would be created if the creators of the soundtrack from the TV show 'How Its Made' decided have a good trip. Coupled with the 'Only Shallow'-esque drum presentation and sweeping guitars the song truly creates a massive indent on the album in a positive way. Engineers as an album represents some of the best that melodic British music from 2000-2006 had to offer and dismissing it as simply a Lost Souls clone would be doing this wonderful album a disservice. Engineers may not be a sonically important album to the landscape of music, but through its unique presentation of the melodic, the atmospheric, and truly touching moments of musical intimacy the album becomes one of the best in its field. It embodies a certain spirit which is often missing from music being released in this decade and it should be praised for that.