The Life and Times...

After the eventual disbanding of the great band Shiner, Allen Epley formed a new trio under the name of The Life and Times with fellow members Chris Metcalf (Stella Link) and Eric Abert (Ring, Cicada). Hearing the news of this after being a big fan of Shiner made me terribly excited at the time and when I finally got a hold of their EP, The Flat End of the Earth, it sent my excitement and anticipation for a full-length soaring even further. So last year was the year that The Life and Times dropped their Desoto debut on us, and for the most part it was everything I expected it to be...maybe a bit underwhelming just due to the fact that I had built this up in my head for at least a year and a half or so. Anyway, their album Suburban Hymns was released last year and it seemed to be received pretty well from most publications.

When first hearing their initial EP, it reminded me a lot more Shiner, except I could see then that Epley had decided to take a bit different of a route and focus a bit more on incorporating some melody into the mixture. Before that, Shiner had always been a bit more on the mathematical side of things and with a more plodding chunky guitar sound. With The Flat End of the Earth, it isn't a drastic change in sound, but this is still clearly a different band for Epley.

Although Suburban Hymns never fully overwhelmed like I had hoped it would, the album itself is actually really solid. To my surprise though, the similarities to Epley's former band Shiner, were almost all but gone. I had expected something similar to an albums worth of songs like on the EP. However, when I was listening for the first time, I was met with a wash of guitars and the use of vocal effects galore. Albeit a bit over the top, the whispy vocals were a nice surprise and a welcome addition. The melodies are all there, although coated this time with a greater white noise type of distortion delivered along with it. What ends up happening on Suburban Hymns is that it dabbles in just about everything rock after awhile. Encompassing everything that was great about 90's alt-rock and at the same time giving nods and winks to bands like My Bloody Valentine and the entire legion of post-rock bands in this day and age. The great thing about The Life and Times and their up to date output is that it's done right and it's done well. It may not be overwhelming or mind blowing, but there is no denying Allen Epley has a knack for creating music that will make the softest of alternative rock fans yearn for the days when music like this flooded the air waves and made label reps trip all over each other just to sign bands like this.

If your interested in checking them out, you can visit them at their site. Also, you can still purchase their EP from 5440 or Fight Records and their full-length from Desoto. It's well worth it if your a fan of either Shiner or just good old fashion 90's alternative rock.

The Life and Times - High Scores [MP3]
The Life and Times - Coat of Arms [MP3]
The Life and Times - Shift Your Gaze [MP3]