I have had this CD playing on my i-tunes for a while now and the two main reasons I haven’t got round to reviewing it are simple, firstly Overvibe have provided me with a full album worth of material and secondly, it is hard to sum up in a few short paragraphs.
First track ‘I’ slowly builds up with soaring guitar melodies that are layered over a sound-scape of drifting keyboards and strong vocals. It sounds a bit like Garbage but with a male vocalist and with some more 80’s influence coming through. As the album progresses you hear a wide range of influences, with moments of Depeche Mode-esq build ups and U2 rock epics. There is a mix of ideas from electronica to indie and more rocky and funky moments. Overvibe’s song writing is awesome with some really well arranged songs and well produced songs, this album is very professional.
Tracks like ‘The Light’ and ‘Laserstar’ have more ambient moments of great beauty and there is a nice mix of dynamic through out the album with tracks like the immense ‘L.A Calling’ showing some heavier influence that reminds me more of The Prodigy. All the tracks fall into a really nice groove and drive along well, picking up the tempo at times and with a really easy movement, the music flows perfectly. The electronic backing, drums and keyboards contrasts really well with the melodic guitars, which at times kick in with some more brutal riff-age and the eerie and soft vocals. The vocal also shows a good range at times becoming so soft it is almost unnoticeable and at other times slamming in with power to carry the songs.
This is a catchy and powerful offering from Overvibe that is full of depth and feeling. It has some nice experimental moments with out ever drifting to far from a style of rock that should have wide appeal. If they can produce this sound live, Overvibe should start to get quite a lot of attention.
Review by Gaz
