Desole – A Story To Tell / 2006 Abacus / 10 Tracks / http://www.desoleband.com / http://abacusrecordings.com / Reviewed 09 July 2006

Desole does not play with the melodrama; when they start up their disc with “Personal”, they lay it on thick. Luckily, the band is talented enough to pair this melodrama with more than adequate arrangements. In fact, the arrangements are so talented that they highlight certain bits of this melodrama and make it more present in the ears of all whom listen in.

“Gossip” shows more of the same thing, while the instrumental interlude just puts a bolding on the lyrics that will soon follow. Each of the tracks showcase a slightly different aspect of Desole; “Opposites Attract” shows that they can add a second set of vocals to the mix while the guitars are assaulting listeners and still not have the band sound the least bit cluttered. This disc just does not have enough tracks on it; the sweetness that is the sugar that Desole panders to its listener is something that sadly goes down too quickly. While there is the distinct possibility that one could just stick the disc back on for round two, I feel as if Desole has much more to say than what eventually ended up on the final Abacus disc. However, there is paradoxically a moment on “A Story To Tell” that the track feels as if it goes on for miles. This track, the aptly-named instrumental track “Instrumental”, fits in with the theme of the disc (A Story To Tell), by having rich instrumentation that goes beyond simply supporting a set of vocals to telling a full narrative. Coming back from the instrumental is a hard thing for a band to do, especially considering that Desole puts the instrumental track in the middle of the disc, but ”Danger Danger” is a track that shows Desole stepping up their game further than they have previously on this disc.

Desole accomplishes whatever they wanted to do with their disc, and the solid nature of this disc shows why they were tapped to play with emo masters Brandtson. Just one listen to a song like “Familiar Pills” with tits controlled chaos and individuals should be enthralled completely by the band. Here’s to hoping that Desole is able to build off the ability shown on ths disc and continue with the density present in tracks like “Familiar Pills”. If so, it will only be a matter of time before Desole is headlining tours. Pick this disc up!

Top Tracks: Familiar Pills, Shadow Girl

Rating: 7.6/10

[JMcQ]