Takota – The Ivory Tower / 2006 Ares / 10 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/taoktamusic / Reviewed 21 May 2007

I must admit, I had no idea what Takota would sound like just looking at the front cover of their “The Ivory Tower”. What results during the opening, self-titled track is something that fits in perfectly to the “emo” sound created by acts like Yellowcard. Very melodic rock is what awaits listeners on “The Ivory Tower”, with emotive arrangements and catchy vocal harmonies that will stick around for well after the disc’s runtime. The band starts off “The Ivory Tower” with a strong track, one that uses Travis Barker-like drum fills to bring even more momentum to the band, something that gives them a great position coming into the disc’s second track “Satellite”. The same strong production is present during the opening to “Satellite”. It would not be surrising if this album becomes the next big emo album to wow individuals, after Fall Out Boy and Panic At The Disco both took the album in previous years. In tracks like “Satellite”, it seems as if the band is uniting both the more artistically appreciated earlier emo style and the more current, boy-band-punk emo style that is popular.

Coming from the maelstrom that is “The Ivory Tower”, “Satellite” seems to be almost a step back from the band. The song is still intense and full of different influences, but the band does not seem to capture listeners hearts quite as successfully as they had during the opening track. The band gets back on the right track with “Lioness”, a song that brings back the same type of harmony that distinguished “The Ivory Tower” as such a stand-up track by Takota. The vocal range achieved during the track is what makes the track special; Takota has another hit on their hands during this track. The drums come back in a major way during “City Drugs”, a track that features Brandon Saller from Atreyu.

The track is another solid one for Takota, but it does not hold a candle to either “The Ivory Tower” or “Lioness”. The star power will undoubtedly sell more copies of the disc, but the band is fine crafting tracks on their own. Takota is a band that has came out of nowhere, and by the time that “Carpark Conversation” ends the album, they have gotten a new fan in me. I think the new-emo style has been done to death, but acts can still do up the style in interesting ways and create a solid album. This is exactly what Takota did with “The Ivory Tower”, and what I believe they will do in future albums.

Top Tracks: A Little Honesty, Paperheart

Rating: 7.1/10

[JMcQ]