Rating: 7.3/10
Commonly referred to as a great live show, the release of Lensing by a’tris a few months ago once again showcased why the fans in their hometown of Boston keep coming back.
Featured as one of MUF’s Bands You Must Know at the beginning of April, a’tris thrives on their ability to comprise quick-witted interludes along with frontman Mason Taylor’s calming, yet assertive, vocals. Despite not having catchy refrains or many poppy backdrops to their alt-rock sound, the four-man group still manages to systematically arrange all of their lead-ins, add-ons and breakouts quite fluidly.
A prime example of this intangible organization in the album is “Automatic Doors”. As one of the group’s headlining songs, it enters with a light synth before Taylor’s lyrics question and answer (keep it present) simple life questions. Soon enough the rest of the group tags in with a swaying drum line, a lead rock guitar, an undertoning bass and a faint cosmic set of clips to complete the synthesis many of the group’s 11 tracks on the album carry.
What jumps out immediately in Lensing might only be described as strong emotion. Although no screaming or thrashing ever takes the stage as the outcome of this emotion, the succinct thought process from one song to the next, keyed around Taylor’s harmonious delivery, sends this ‘heart’ through the speakers.
Perhaps the beacon of the emotional output in the album comes to full fruition in “This Mortal Engine”. Not typical of the album by its lulling singing and piano play for the first few minutes, Taylor voices “but you were there with me, and you said to me… you said, this isn’t how it ends, this isn’t how it ends, this is how it begins.” After these lyrics, the piano kicks in harder and the drums start swiftly by hitting the high hats. Taylor’s singing becomes a bit less clear through this final rise before the remaining instruments fade the song out.
The opening to many tracks hardly give any representation as to where that song will finally settle, particularly in Lensing. I was quite surprised by “Paradise is a Boxcar” to open the album since it didn’t lead in slowly or really portray the theme of the album as intro tracks generally do, rather it started quickly before gently being calmed back down before being energized again multiple times over with the rising and falling vocals of Taylor as its guide.
Like many tracks on the album, the “Bite the Bullet” intro on the other hand comes across as a build-up type song, since it begins with the same slow piano shown in “This Mortal Engine” before the vocals lift the song to a new rejuvenated level.
By opening the album with more of an intro, rather than an unannounced quick pickup, the transition in the album would have been much less noticeable.
Overall, a’tris mended their love for presentation with their honest emotions in Lensing and nothing can take away from that. They implemented several high-caliber tracks niftily throughout the album as “Paradise is a Boxer”, “Automatic Doors” and “Dark Lotus” all keep the album lively in their respective positions. My only regret with this album was that several songs didn’t transition properly, which made for unnecessary changes of tempo, thus hurting the overall sound of those songs. Beyond the minor shifts of the album, each song holds soundly by itself. Add Lensing to your collection and soon enough you’ll want to catch them live.
Make sure to check out a'tris on their web site as well as myspace page. Lensing can be found at iTunes.
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