Ethan Isaac – vocals
Jonathan Svec – guitar
Joel Kelley – guitar
Todd Budich – drums
James Cruz – bass
Going into this review I had already heard Edisun’s single, “Wide Awake”. It quickly became a song that I listened to on my IPod repeatedly. I was eager to explore the rest of Edisun’s debut album more thoroughly, and found that it still exceeded my expectations. One of the things that blew me away about this quintet from Connecticut was that they are able to blend together classic and modern rock and make it sound amazing. Their jazzy sound stems from blues rock and classic rock bands such as Led Zeppelin, Soundgarden, and U2, while adding in an energy and modern flare found in recent hard rock and alternative rock bands like Stone Sour. It is this clever blending of the old and new that gives Edisun an original sound to be appreciated and craved.
The self-titled album opens up with the song, “Wide Awake”, which starts the album off on an energetic note. This song is not only the one that is most familiar to me, but is also the one that I still find the most addicting. From the opening guitar line, this song gives off the vibe of a lively party song that kicks the door down with its signature chorus and vocals “Riot in this Town!” The guitar riffs, stylish drum beats, and Isaac’s versatile vocals work well in this single and highlight Edisun’s unique sound in this opening track. Regardless of how good the rest of the album and the band’s future work may be, this will likely be one of the songs that define Edisun later on.
“Hello” and “Too Pretty (Supertramp)” diverge to a different sound more reminiscent of Stone Temple Pilots. Both songs slow down the pace slightly, but maintain a stylish party vibe that has real jazzy grooves to them that aren’t found in modern rock very often anymore. Both songs are fun to listen to when kicking back and letting loose.
“Right Beside You” is a slower melodic song that was relaxing to listen to because of its smooth, easy-going vibe. This isn’t just a run-of-the-mill love song either. It has a really unique, elegant harmony that smoothly blends Isaac’s vocals together with the slower guitar vibes like butter. As far as slower-paced ballads go, this one was one of my favorite that I’ve heard recently.
“Medicate” is the band’s first single and matches “Wide Awake” in terms of intensity and energy. Not only is the song entertaining to listen to because of its instrumentals and choruses, but the song also contains a relevant message that reflects how the guys of Edisun view the world. The lyrics make references to how people in today’s world literally medicate themselves under any given circumstance in order to deal with their problems. The vocals and thumping instrumentals that go into the addictive chorus, along with the song’s agreeable message really make this song stand out as one of my favorites on the album.
“Ready To Believe” was one of my favorite songs on the album as well. The song is evenly-paced and with a melodic, inspirational feel to it. The lyrics indicate a song about yearning for change and freedom. Isaac’s vocals really came out in this song for me because he is able to shift gears and elevate his voice higher during the chorus before falling back.
“Silence” slows pace down to another melodic ballad. Although this song wasn’t quite as vivid or unique as “Right Beside You”, it was still an emotional song all the same.
“Fly” and “Voices” are two songs that, according to the band, were strongly inspired by their experiences in performing before U.S. troops stationed overseas. “Voices” stood out for me more than “Fly” because of its ability to pick up pace and energy over the course of the song. Both songs were entertaining and contained bluesy vibes to them that made them both memorable tracks.
“To Die For” contains an entertaining, stylish opening riff that continues throughout much of the rest of the song. The riff was perhaps the biggest draw-in of this song, along with bass line to coincide with it. Overall, the song had a deep, powerful groove to it that somewhat reminded me of bands like Soundgarden.
Finally, “While The World’s Asleep” wraps up the album on a melodic note. As the shortest song on the album, it doesn’t contribute much to the uniqueness of the rest of the album but still does a good job of closing off the album on a smooth, relaxed tempo.
Edisun is a band that brings a deep blues vibe and classic melodic sounds trail-blazed by legendary bands and puts its own spin on it by adding a more modern sound to it. They are a band that has successfully revitalized classic rock sounds by making them sound energetic and fresh, which is an art that has become largely unappreciated amongst the modern rock community.
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