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Picture Morrissey fronting Tears for Fears during each artist's mid '80s peak, and there's a fair chance it would have sounded something like the 2008 selftitled release by Waves on Waves. That said, don't expect an abundance of uptempo ditties here, as there's certainly a restrained and/or melancholy feel that runs through the entire album. Singer Thornton certainly has studied his '80s altpop heroes, as evidenced by such standouts as the album opening "Your Operator" (which begins with an intro that brings to mind the beginning of Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "Relax"), as well as "We Want 2" and "U Moved Me In2 the Future" (if you haven't noticed already, the group has an obsession with working "2" into their song titles). All in all, the tracks on Waves on Waves' debut would have sounded just as good coming out of the radio in 1985, as they do around the time of the album's actual release.
- Greg Prato, All Music Guide
- All Music Guide
With Waves on Waves’ self-titled proper debut, pansexual lead singer Kevin Thornton entombs the hayseed glam-pop of his 2004 release Had a Sword under layers of sublime reverb. In the process, Thornton completes a sonic metamorphosis from Had a Sword’s pentatonic queer spirtuals to Waves on Waves’ cacophonous new-wave rockers.
Had a Sword was hypothetically Thornton’s big-break album from his since-scrapped namesake rock trio. High-strung and theatrical, Had a Sword stuck out like a sore thumb on the local music scene. For starters, the album was tinged with homoeroticism and a phallic album title, which is career poison in a town where Jacob and Josh: Nemesis Rising was played for yucks. On the Richter scale of sexual ambiguity, Had a Sword was about an 8.
Music Row Magazine crowed on about Had a Sword’s “fascinating individualism” while music biz fellers just crowed. After a few cockteases of a record deal, Thornton became an unintentional Behind the Music punchline. One sabbatical to South America and name change later, Waves on Waves was meshed together from Thornton’s old band. The results speak for themselves: This is dense music, with crunchy guitars and airy synth grooves looped over Enoch Porch’s machine-gun-crisp drum lines.
“Get on your feet / And I mean get up to a brand new beat,” Thornton warbles on “Say Goodnight.” These lips don’t lie. If Waves on Waves sounds like Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me minus the plodding gothic pop clichés, it’s no mistake. This version of Thornton 2.0 is a rich synth-pop homage to Robert Smith. (Heck, Thornton’s mascara-caked face in the CD insert glossy is straight out of 1987’s In Orange tour.)
The standout tracks include the sinuously melodic “Your Operator,” with bassist Luke Aaron Jones’ shivering guitar ringing clear. As always, the sweetly intimate harmonies of Thornton and Porch hold everything together. On “Modern Man,” Thornton’s lilting falsetto is suspended over rising synths, and his voice intertwines with Porch’s amiable tenor.
Waves on Waves offer glimmers of the old Thornton. “A Lighter Load” is filled with David Lynch-like glumness and tenderly clear-cut arpeggios. The ultimate draw is Thornton’s voice, cracked with remarkable clarity. It’s a voice that still packs an emotional punch, even in the stylized gauze.
- Nashville Scene
Founded by Kevin Thornton (vocals, guitar, piano, synthesizer), Enoch Porch (drums, vocals, synthesizer, guitar, piano), and Luke Aaron Jones (bass, vocals, piano), Waves on Waves started out in Indiana under the name Thornton before the group relocated to Nashville. After the group's 2004 release, Had a Sword, earned the attention of critics and fans, Thornton (the group) won an award at the Nashville Scene Awards for Best Experimental Rock. While on tour to promote the album in 2004 and 2005, the group narrowly escaped the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and abruptly canceled the rest of its dates. After a months-long hiatus (Kevin Thornton relocated to South America, Porch toured as a bassist with Lovedrug, and Jones got married), the trio reconvened, changed its name to Waves on Waves, and entered the recording studio. The self-titled Waves on Waves was released in June 2008 on VTP Music. ~ Katherine Fulton, All Music Guide
- Billboard.com
This flamboyant Nashville
trio—throughout the cov-
er art, they cavort in head-
dresses, eyeshadow, ear-
rings, and tattoos—pumps
out 1980s-style synth-pop.
Front man Thornton (one name only, please) has a gentle yet forthright voice, akin to post-Soft Cell Marc Almond.
Sexually ambiguous imagery aside, Waves on Waves (for-
merly Thornton) play it pretty safe on their debut. Lyrics
like "Today I wrote the Holy Book" ("We Want To") join with
sweeping synths and Edge-influenced guitar work. The shiny
results recall a less dance-oriented Erasure or Spandau Ballet.
- Andmoreagain
Discography
2009- Remixed Vol. 1 2008- Waves on Waves "Self Titled" 2004- Thornton "Had A Sword"
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Bio
Waves on Waves has followed the creative footsteps of art rock visionaries without coming off retro or reeking of derivation. They have evolved their pallet into something between The Police’s Synchronicity and Brain Damage era Pink Floyd --with a front man who sounds like a blend of Elvis Presley and Kate Bush. Bassist Luke Aaron Jones and Drummer Enoch Porch add lush harmonies with an underbelly of vintage synths and four-on-the-floor rhythm. The Nashville Scene calls it “…noir-pop… with Ziploc-tight emotional gravitas well beyond their collective years.”
Waves on Waves presented its first proper release (Waves on Waves Self Titled) in September of 2008. The debut completes Thornton, Jones, and Porch’s 21st century journey from Indiana garage band to consummate rock pros; and marks the beginning of a new phase with VTP Music, “a sort of music industry investor group,” says the band. The resulting Waves on Waves Self Titled is a tight collection of pop sensibility and oozing art rock, and the group drifts masterfully between the two--- at once the melancholy of Computer Love Kraftwerk with the optimism of early U2 or James.
“We wanted to make a record that showed who we really are and at the same time not obtuse,” says Thornton. “We tried to be universal with the record, and hopefully it’s something that could grow into mass appeal.”
Under the moniker Thornton, it was the group’s 2004 release Had a Sword that first put them on the underground radar. Receiving praise from a variety of publications and quickly gaining recognition, they were hurled into the forefront as one of Nashville’s premier rock outfits after winning the Nashville Scene Award for the Best Experimental Rock Group in 2004.
In support for Had a Sword, the group made their way through an extensive tour in 2004 and 2005. Although largely successful, their ride was cut short after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans and, consequently, the plans for the rest of their tour. As they fled north from the disaster, they cancelled the rest of their tour dates, and the band went into hiatus; Enoch toured as the bassist for brit-rock group, Lovedrug, Luke got married, and Thornton went on a sabbatical in South America. This hiatus, however, became the catalyst for their latest record.
Waves on Waves:
Thornton: Lead Vocals, Guitar, Piano, Synth
Enoch Porch: Drums, Vocals, Synth, Guitar, Piano
Luke Aaron Jones: Bass, Vocals, Piano
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