Isle of View

From the very first ominous rumbling guitar of "Fall Asleep and Die," you know something is up. By the time "Ransom" blasts its wash of guitars and bombastic drum line, and vocalist Tim Tucker wails in defiance of any person ever screwed over by a girl, you know what's happening. Those punk kids from Baltimore are here to stay, and they're tired of taking shit! UNDECIDED RECORDS is proud to kick off the summer with the much anticipated new release from soon to be punk-pop mainstays ISLE OF VIEW. Gentle Firefly Radio proves with blistering clarity and subtle charm that ISLE OF VIEW pack a formidable punch and are ready to take on all the pretenders to the throne of rock.

http://www.lumberjack-online.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=LDOS&Product_Code=15267 - Lumberjack Distribution

I have to give it up for five charming boys from my hometown, Charm City. Bringing complex hooks to instant pop-punk anthems, Isle records their first of what is sure to be many albums with producer Steven Wright, who helped catapult fellow hometown heroes SR-71 into the spotlight. For those who want a break from the mundane of radio frock, and get back to some solid rock and rolling, this album proves to be far from ‘gentle’.

http://buzzmg.com/topten/2005_05/whits_mixtape.htm - Buzz Magazine

Isle of View’s sound strikes a fairly even balance between melodic punk and emo (which are more closely related than many wish to admit). The hint of rawness to the band’s earnest sound points to its punk roots while the poignant melodies imbue the music with good emotional quality. The nature of the emotion on tap varies between contained inner anger and angst that doesnt lack hope. Isle of View is not a groundbreaking band but they do what they do well.
review written by: Upchuck Undergrind

http://fishcomcollective.net/index.php?p=reviews&id=1549 - FishComCollective

Isle of View is a band name that just asks for some ridicule that is all too necessary for a band like this. Weezer imitators? Not even that close, this is just bad in the way of the aim being the big spot on the top 10 on TRL when the girls scream and the poor saps below reach to the sky like a farmer praying for the rains in the time of drought. Isle of View’s album “Gentle Firefly Radio” should’ve been a dead give away to how insanely ridiculous this album is praying for a fat bag of cash to be thrown into its lap.

They must’ve known this was going to be a hit amongst the droves of emo kids who gave emo a bad name as this band continues to do such things as well. What this band needs is a bigger label to fully exploit the marketed manufactured sound this band could really put forth if they only had the right means of doing so. This album will end up making its way to re release after they hit it big with the 13 year old girls and the heart broken boys who cry “why”. Break out the mini vans and get your mother’s to buy you a piece of popish disgust that has no real purpose but to further the collection of catchy for the sake of catchy bands.

Only you can prevent bands like this from taking off into squirrelly MTV TRL VJ introductions. The swarm of adolescence that will crowd the record stores is a site I hope to the high heavens I do not witness.

Posted By: Dave Huffy

http://www.riftrock.com/reviews.php?c=453
- RIFTrock

Pop-punk from America’s new murder capital, Baltimore, Maryland that leaves aside all the grittiness in place of harmonious melodies that only the best of pop-punk bands can get away with. Rudimentary clauses of raunchy guitars juxtapose the punctuated breakdowns with a debut that’s sure to spark a whole lot of conversation. Vocally they’re heavy on melody and catchy hooks with lyrics that seem ripped straight from God’s laboratory that created teen angst. About to embark on summer tours with the likes of Lucky Boys Confusion and Further Seems Forever, Isle of View is hoping to bring their brand of pop-punk to each and every girl and boy willing to listen.

- J-Sin

http://www.smother.net/reviews/punk.php3?ID=242 - Smother.net

There weren’t too many outstanding pop-punk releases in 2005 so far, so the more I’m happy that Baltimore’s Isle Of View do pretty much everything right on their sophomore debut full-length “Gentle Firefly Radio”.

At least good pop-punk only needs killer-hooks and well written melodies - sounds easy, but it ain’t. Fortunately, Isle Of View seem to know about the importance of both and deliver plenty of it, while never bathing too deep into the genre-typical clichés. Sure, the 13 tracks on here are all cheesy and you‘ll also find some girl-related topics in the booklet, but I’m all for it when the music is written well and includes a satisfying amount of outstanding songs. What I like most about Isle Of View’s material is the subtle, but nevertheless audible Beach Boys (power-)pop influence, that runs through pretty much the entire album (not unlike the disbanded and awfully underrated This Radiant Boy). There’s a lot of sugar in the mix, but the often flooring melodies and super-catchy vocal-patterns save the music from any kind of boredom. Instead IOV easily switch from (mainly) up-tempo beats to calmer moments without the slightest break. Tim Tucker’s vocals definitely have a special character, since the words go over his lips with much heart and an extra amount of passion. Various songs on here leave a damn great impression, like the straight “He Who Laughs Last”, “Blue Ribbon Shoes” or the bitter-sweet ballad “Tombstone”. The chorus of “Private Island” is just irresistible and shows Tucker in best condition and exactly the same counts for the beautiful “Angel Wings”. Honestly, I don’t know why “Ransom” was picked for video-rotation, since it’s obviously not as outstanding as for example “Private Island”, but maybe that’s a matter of personal taste. Whatsoever, the concluding acoustic song “Driving On Train Tracks” has a beautiful campfire-atmosphere going on and blows similar attempts by other bands straight out of the water. Compared to other releases this effort is rather free of unnecessary gloss, what also counts for the appropriate recording, that is clear and powerful, but never too polished. The booklet design isn’t overly stunning, but I definitely enjoy the cover-artwork, that somehow fits to the music well!

To me “Gentle Firefly Radio” is definitely the ultimate album for long summer nights and relaxed front-porch barbecues. With audible passion, appropriate diversity, top-notch vocals and killer-hooks this album simply sticks out.

Rating: 8/10

http://taketherisk.net/html/isle_of_view_-_gentle_firefly_.html - Take The Risk!

This five piece rock band has a quirky punk sound, an abundance of energy and lyrics to get your mind racing. This break out bands debut album has the flavor of artists such as All American Rejects or possibly even Riddlin' Kids. Taking intense amount of energy and slapping a mix of musical sounds along with captivating lyrics we get the track "Fall Asleep And Die". "Private Island" is lyrically outstanding and musically jaw dropping. Taking the music to a slight heavier edginess using roaring guitars "Ransom" gets things moving with fast paced vocals. By far the best track is the tune "Train Tracks" which has guitar techniques completely different from the remainder of the album. They use a smooth mellow acoustic aura and the soft spoken vocals are extremely relaxing.


Review by Geoff Dellinger

http://entertainmentworld.us/ew1/templates/rockmusicreviews.aspx?articleid=5010&zoneid=28 - entertainmentworld.us