Music
Press
Sometimes it’s hard to describe the amalgamation of two different, yet somewhat similar worlds: rock and electronica. Together, they form one wild yet exciting ear-gasmic adventure. What do we call such a titillating experience?
Anodize.
Only four years old, Anodize is a local band composed of some of the University’s own alumni as well as guys from different parts of Latin America.
“Signs of You” is their debut album that was released on Nov. 25.
Most songs in “Signs of You” are about relationships but they are relationships gone awry.
Instead of having music and lyrics that reflect anger and frustration, the album seems to focus on the inner-workings and thoughts of a sensitive guy trying to get over the girl who never learned to appreciate him from the start. As a result, we can safely call this a series of “please don’t leave me,” “I have to break up with you, but I don’t want to” and “I’m hurt” songs, with an awesome and contagious beat.
On their first single, “Tuesday,” Vito Lastayo, the lead singer, sings, “If you choose to walk away, then I’m not gonna be here on Tuesday.”
He threatens the girl that he’ll leave her, but the mere thought tortures him beyond belief: “Only a day away and every moment without her is murder.”
More than anything, the song seems to be an operatic dialogue of despair between boy (the victim) and the heartless girl.
Although it’s not really a happy song, the rhythm and beat makes the song come to life with rays of sunshine. In contrast with “Tuesday,” “Iris” is a very deep song full of imagery.
For my taste, the song is too descriptive and one can be easily lost in trying to understand what’s going on. The song seems to focus on a painful moment in time. However, that moment isn’t a day or an hour: it seems like a minute frozen in time.
“To live in a tear forever, where there’s no need to breathe.”
Although it doesn’t deal with human relationships directly, it’s a powerful song that touches upon being alone and accepting that reality.
The rest of this great album is like a concoction of Linkin Park, Pink Floyd and OneRepublic.
It’s a fusion of feel-good, rhythmic beats of the softer side of hard rock and the digital elements of electronica.
The lead singer’s sweet, colorful story-telling voice adds even more color to this musical composition. Just add a martini, and you’re set.
- Kimberly C. Engelhardt/Staff Writer
Members of Anodize want their mind-tripping debut CD to challenge people's perceptions of
reality.
"There are infinite possibilities they probably never see or consider," said Deryl Leon, drummer for the electronica rock group from Miami. "We intend to change that."
The band took its name from an industrial process used to fuse two elements together. "Because we combine rock and electronica, we thought it was very fitting," frontman Vito Lastayo said.
The disc, Signs of You, dropped in January,is their first effort out of the studio following two years of playing gigs. The tracks capture their live sound, layering instrumentation with dulcet vocals. Leon's in-your-face backbeat accompanies Lastayo's lead vocals. Rounding out the group are guitarist Chris Arriagada and keyboardist Mike Arellini.
For Signs, Anodize was determined to create a visual cinematic effect to relay their belief in controlling one's destiny.
"There's a flow to the album, sort of a like a movie with a fast-paced beginning, then things slow down a bit in the middle and pick up again," Leon said.
For more information, go to anodizeband.com and myspace.com/anodize. - Beth Feinstein-Bartl
On Signs Of You, Miami’s Anodize does their best to mix electronica programming with blasting rock riffs. It’s a good thing that Anodize has an electronica side to their sound, without it they would just be another generic, alternative-rock, radio-ready band. Signs Of You isn’t incredibly innovative, but it has a few tracks that fans of mainstream alt-rock can get into.
Anodize delivers one of the best tracks of the album with the opening cut “Get It Right.” Hard
rock guitar mixes well with programmed beats on the song. Fans of Linkin Park will find the
sound of “Get It Right” to be similar to the long-running rap-rock band, without any rapping.
The song definitely could find a home on current alt-rock radio. Compared to the heavy sound of “Get It Right,” the next song “Iris” sounds somewhat surprising. The verses of the song are largely composed of dark synth sounds mixed with airy piano melodies. Anodize gets away from the grungy guitars that populate the rest of the album on the track, allowing for the more unique side of their sound to come out and creating a fairly intriguing song.
“Tuesday” uses a similar sound to “Iris.” Again, Anodize begins to establish an identity that could separate them from the pack of hard rock bands on the song.
However, Signs Of You contains too many tracks with the same, predictable grungy guitar mixed with electronica beats. Tracks like “On The Outside” and “All Alarms” quickly become boring. I also feel that the vocal range of Vito Lastayo is too limiting on some songs like “When You Run.” The track would be much stronger with a singer with a greater range.
Anodize does come back strongly later on the album on “Electric Star.” It’s clear that Anodize does have the potential to build a great sound from the song.
Signs Of You suffers from an over-used rock sound at several points. However, the more unique
sounding tracks make Anodize a band to keep your eye on. - MuzikReviews.com Assistant Senior Editor Chris Homer
Discography
"Tuesday" (Single) - released Oct. 28, 2008 currently plays on college radio, satellite radio, and internet radio.
"Signs of You" (CD) released Nov. 25, 2008 entered same rotation as above.
Photos
Bio
Any given moment is immersed in possibilities, the majority of which we never see, or even consider. Anodize intends to change all that.
“Perception is divine,” says Vito Lastayo, frontman for the group. “Our message is a plea, a foreshadowing; a sense of urgency and follow through. We believe there are infinite ways of looking at a situation, and thus infinite notions of reality.”
The reality is that their first release, Signs of You (available in the U.S. November 25th), is a fusion of the primitive, liquid guts of rock and the mechanical elements of electronica, drum & bass, and breakbeat. Eloquently co-existing with this musicscape, Vito's dulcet tones manage to consistently maintain their jurisdiction, while embarking the listener on a journey into the present.
With all four members hailing from different parts of the Western Hemisphere, their amalgam of influences comes as no surprise. Guitarist Chris Arriagada explains, “The details of how we came together are not extraordinary, but something simple like that is always especially interesting under the surface. The fact that we came together at all is amazing in itself. We all share a common belief that we control our own destiny. This is the glue that keeps us together.”
Nowhere is Anodize's cohesion more apparent than during their live show. The band ignites and moves as one, a powerful tidal wave of emotion. However, achieving a unified sound is not easy when you consider the intricacy of their music. Layers of keyboards and guitars are cemented by a seamless mix of electronic rhythms and loud, in-your-face acoustic drums. Keyboardist Mike Arellini's pitch-perfect harmonies punctuate Vito's already engaging vocal melodies. It would seem that replicating such a thick sound would require vast amounts of equipment and support from a manned crew. But Anodize pulls it off with no assistance, human or electronic. They refuse to use sequencers. “I used to have to play to a click live while a backing sequence did its thing, but that's so stale. It makes it easy to keep time, but I like having the freedom to stretch parts, or drive the guys where I think the song should go,” says drummer Deryl Leon. “It allows us to transmit an enormous amount of our own energy to the audience.”
Always aiming to open minds, the band chose to bring in Omar Cuellar, who fronts the shoegaze band Francis7, as co-producer of Signs Of You. The result: intense and epic music with a definite nod to mainstream sensibilities. Mike comments, “Our songs tend to be multidimensional and august because they don't deal with simple themes. They're about experiencing the infinite fullness of a moment.”
From the blistering and dramatic expansion which opens “Get it Right” to the fading waves of “Martyr,” Signs of You grabs on and doesn't let up.
“Tuesday,” the first single off the album, is also the featured music video on the enhanced CD. “Shooting this video was probably the most tiring thing we've had to do so far,” says Chris, “It was definitely the longest weekend of my life, but well worth it.”
“All Alarms” carries through on the theme of the album, one of impending changes, but visible signs of freewill: “I'm going eastbound, right to the dark. I won't chase the sun down, I'll head for dawn.”
The music for “Get It Right” was written by Deryl and Mike over two years prior to Signs of You. Writing the lyrics and vocal melodies for this song was Vito's audition. As Mike recalls, “He nailed it right from the start. I could see the smiles on the other guy's faces when we heard it, saying to me 'He's the one.' To this day, that song is a perfect show opener. It's high-energy definitely motivates us and the crowd.”
The album closer, “Martyr,” is the first part of a narrative which will be brought to fruition on their next album. It is also the first song Anodize worked on together from scratch. Vito describes the process: “It's like seeing an idea in your mind develop unto perfection. It was the first time we truly combined our collective musical ideas.”
Your chance to experience the rush is coming soon, whether by the album's creative craftsmanship or the band's intense live performances. Anodize will be breaking borders and flooding a mind near you on their upcoming multi-national tour.
Links
