Elevator Division - "Imaginary Days" (Ashland Records)

Album review by Mark Cuthbertson

Throughout Imaginary Days, Elevator Division draws from the airy pop of the eighties (the Cure, Simple Minds, U2, et al) and places such sounds into a more contemporary context with melancholy, introspective melodies and tempos. From the echoing tones of “Ophelia” to the distorted power chords at the closing of “Love Song,” Elevator Division guides the listener on a plodding journey across a sonic landscape rich with bodies of water, cliffs, valleys, plateaus, and foggy moors.

Imaginary Days is not a typical album. Three of the ten songs (“Ophelia,” “Thalo,” and “Love Song”) are each over six minutes long. However, these are not extended versions of simple rock songs, nor are they operatic epics or long-winded musical meanderings which last long past their welcome. They are among the more successful and interesting songs from Imaginary Days. Some bands have trouble writing songs which remain interesting after a minute or two, let alone six or seven minutes. Elevator Division demonstrates a knack for tasteful building and deconstructing emotional and musical intensity with these songs. Furthermore, this band has the discipline to hold back at least one element at any given time, leaving the listener to wonder if the climax is past or just a few seconds away. Of course, a six-minute single is hard to sell. “Changing Words” is probably the closest to a solid single, as it showcases Elevator Division’s stylistic breadth and boasts one of the catchier riffs of Imaginary Days.

Most of their songs cover a wide spectrum of sounds, textures, and moods from beginning to end (exception: “In Stillness.” as the title suggests, it’s absolutely stagnant compared to the others on this album). “Away” is a great example of the variety used. It begins with clean, sad acoustic guitar arpeggios calling and answering with an echoing hip-hop bass drum and rim shot. Then James Hoskins strums a minor chord over Paul Buzan’s bass ascending bass line and Samuel Hoskins’s swelling beat, growing progressively louder, and adds distortion. (Pause). Gently distorted guitar arpeggios and Joseph Hoskins’s hushed vocals outline the tonality of the song over whole notes in the bass and percolating drums in the background. Some well-controlled feedback or sampled howling wind feedback solo sets a mood of angst and frustration as the song develops into heavier, “I’ve been waiting all this time” lamentation. This phrase is repeated several times in the vocals over musical mood swings which alternate from heavy distorted strong emotion to fading, lighter sound -- from expressing the anger, frustration, and despair resulting from waiting to rationalizing the waiting as a reason to move on or perhaps realizing the wait is worthwhile, but still frustrating...and so on.

Beyond “Ophelia,” “Away,” Changing Words,” “Thalo,” and “Love Song,” unfortunately, the rest of the album takes a sharp nose-dive. Track nine is a non-song. “The Caribou Suit” seems as if from an album made by a band trying to emulate Elevator Division’s wide spectrum without the smooth transitions required to make the song cohesive. Instead, that particular song seemed clunky and unfinished, especially compared to the others. “In Stillness,” as I mentioned earlier, lacks the broad spectrum of their better songs, yet it is successful on its own terms as a separate idea and provides a change of pace during a listen of the entire album. Still, it doesn’t hold my attention or beckon me to listen to it repeatedly as the better five do. “Yellow” actually reminded me of Donovan’s “Mellow Yellow” with its major seventh chords and one-dimensional light (cheesy) mood. “Into the Sea” is a decent Latin-pop song with a half-time ethereal section.

Overall, I recommend this to anyone who can appreciate more than the usual one-dimensional song/band. More than one listen will be required to memorize and fully appreciate each of these songs. This album will carry listeners away more than it will rock them. Imaginary Days will leave room to wonder about the lyrics rather than fill one’s head with soundbite-ready clichés. Rarely does an album feature five to seven songs (especially totaling over thirty minutes) worthy of such detailed mention; however, Elevator Division’s Imaginary Days is such an album.

The band may be contacted at elevatordivision@hotmail.com or by visiting the Ashland Records website .

--Mark Cuthbertson