Music Matters - The Rescues

The Rescues - The Rescues (EP), Red Wind
Download Now - "Break Me Out"

The Rescues' self-titled, self-released debut EP is at times fresh and alive, but a sense of inertia prevents the band from breaking new ground. Don't get me wrong, the music is easy to listen to, clean, and likable. For example, "Break me Out" is a perfect spring time anthem that captures the hope of new love and new beginnings. "My Heart With You" is an a cappella masterpiece that is at once haunting and uplifting (think Imogen Heap's, "Hide and Seek"). But the other four songs on the EP lack the same forward motion. In these songs passive actors stand by while their lives happen to them. The musical choices in these songs also seem safe, devoid of risk and adventure. I have the feeling these songs will grow on me but will never become more than background music for reading on the metro.

The Rescues and Me

I have really high hopes for The Rescues. The band is comprised of three singer/songwriters who, after collaborating for years, recently decided to form a band. Adrianne and Gabriel Mann are old friends of mine, but I don't know the lovely Kyler England. For full disclosure’s sake, I'm in love with Adrianne. It's love at first sight when I see her open for Vienna Teng in January 2007 at a show in Annapolis, Maryland. She plays her deeply personal and poetic songs on her acoustic guitar and chats humorously about life on the road. Prompted by one of her anecdotes, I give her my phone number after the show. She never calls, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to see her again. My dream comes true when I read that she's coming to my neighborhood Indie music venue. At this show I'm introduced to The North La Brea All Star Conquistadors, a group comprised of Adrianne, Gabriel Mann, Jay Nash and Garrison Star. Each is a singer /songwriter and the group forms while playing the same venue in southern California. The concert is incredible. Four musicians who can each easily lead a band work seamlessly together to create a rich multi-layered musical experience. But the groups songs are rearrangements of the individual songs of each member. So when I hear that Adrianna and Gabriel Mann have a new band that is going to make new music I get really really excited.

So I download the EP and its good but I want it to be great. I tell myself that this is just the EP and they are saving the real gems for the LP. I tell myself, give it time and you will love every song. And I tell myself, you are one of the lucky few who even know the magnitude of their potential and I'm satisfied. I feel how Gabriel Mann might have felt when he helped an unknown local artist, Sara Barellies, get some of her songs on tape, that is, I feel confident that I hold important music in my hands that needs to be shared with the world.