Music
Press
Still Division creates some awesome moments, balancing ass-shaking grooves with tortured screams and blinding guitars. Spearheaded by vocalist Sean Dwyre, whose voice passes from a rich croon to a scream to a Jeff Buckley-esque wail, Still Division are tearing their way through New York City’s hottest venues.
Presenting a modern update to the ‘90s Seattle sound, a sort of post-millenial grunge, the band is tight as a noose, full of players who have cut their teeth on a range of musical styles. Enough of this whiney, self-deprecating emo shit, Still Division bring us back to pure, heartfelt rock.
Wes Covey
Signal to Noise
bklynblues@hotmail.com
- Signal to Noise
New York City`s Still Division are a five piece rock band with a slick sound and a record sleeve that looks a bit like the room that Blur used for "Song 2" with a dodgy old carpet and some stomp boxes.
Opening track, "Apology", is a big rock track with angsty lyrics. Chunky guitar chords underpin the classic rock vocal, which gets the lyrics across in a convincing, melodic and smokey style.
"Undone" is a rock-ballad with crunchy guitars and a plodding rhythm. The verse contains a deep vocal, which slides into the chorus subtly, causing a goose-bump or two in the process. After the chilled start, things build steadily towards the end via a series of bigger and bigger chorus lines.
Final track, "Theory of Everything", falls halfway between the previous songs with some of the subdued nature of "Undone" and some of the pace and anger of "Apology". The guitars whack out their best bits in this track, adding some depth that the other tunes lacked with a series of decent parts wandering away from the big chords.
Although Still Division describe themselves as hard rock, this record is more like The Calling with big rock-anthem style songs with guts and emotion going hand in hand with big drums and guitar sounds.
If Still Division can build on this e.p. with plenty of gigging and another few big songs, there is no reason their ship won`t fly. - The-Mag
Music doesn’t need to be “saved.” Rock doesn’t “return.” The only question that always applies is “is it good?”
Still Division is good. Even better than good. And if you are fan of Pearl Jam, Pablo/Bends-era Radiohead and early 90s classic rock, you may have a new revelation on your hands. Straight-forward, modern classic rock, played sincerely and passionately. Still Division lay-it-all-on-the-line, strongly masculine but with emotional nakedness, pouring out articulate confessionals on love, obsession, and the eternal conundrum of neither being able to live with or without something or someone.
Still Division rocks for sure (“Apology”, “Theory of Everything”) but it’s on songs like “Undone” (“Burn Away”, “Thinning” and others) that Still Division distinguishes itself from any number of talented post-grunge/classic rock bands. These songs are different from the band’s literate and reliable straight rock tracks. Train’s “Tears of Jupiter” is a touchstone, but Still Division’s songs are considerably more intense, more emotive, more cathartic. I can’t call these songs “ballads” since they’re not soft. I won’t call them “power ballads,” either, since they’re neither bombastic, nor are they cliched declarations of eternal love. These songs are not “More than Words.” They begin demurely, maybe with an understated snare pattern or guitar line, and then proceed to unobtrusively expand, widen their arms, get bigger. They somehow…open. Aerosmith’s “Dream On” opens. Radiohead’s “Exit Music” opens (spectacularly). Still Division’s best songs “open” like this.
Rock is obviously difficult to do well, but there are a decent number of bands that have done it and continue to do it. It’s good to hear, but not necessarily special. But a band with a sound that can make their songs expand and open up, that’s more difficult and more rare. At their best, Still Division has that sound. Bands with that sound are bands you should keep your eyes on.
Excerpts from a Review by:
Ari Abramowitz
President, Music Guru Inc. and author of The Pockit Rockit Music Finder
www.pockitrockit.com
- Music Guru Inc.
Discography
Debut EP Released May of 2005:
'Apology'
'Undone'
'Theory of Everything'
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Not just another five piece rock band from New York, Still Division is a high energy, impassioned rock band that chooses substance over form in the tradition of Pearl Jam, Jeff Buckley, and early Radiohead. Their songs have eloquent, heart-in-hand lyrics sung with fierce conviction, from a voice raised on Prince and Stevie Wonder.
Still Division can be found playing to packed houses at some of the city’s most notable venues including the Mercury Lounge, SINE, Tribeca Rock Club, Crash Mansion, Piano’s, Snitch and many more. The next year will see Still Division playing all over the East Coast with shows in New Jersey, Boston, Philadelphia and other major cities.
After the success of their first self-titled E.P., Still Division is back in the studio recording their first full-length album. As in the E.P, the new songs lay-it-all-on-the-line. They are strongly masculine but have an emotional nakedness, pouring out articulate confessionals on love, obsession, and the eternal conundrum of neither being able to live with or without something or someone.
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