ReviewTo an avid music-addict such as myself, one of the things that I enjoy most in my daily grind is hearing new music; new
bands, new sounds, new voices, anything out there that I've never heard or never heard of, that I might enjoy. What I like
even better is when new music crosses my path coincidentally, only to turn out to be something tremendous, something that I
would have definitely been missing out on had I not come across it. It's like a gift, to get something like that unexpectedly,
and who doesn't like getting gifts? Such is the case with the band Everything is Energy, whom I had the chance to meet and
see play the other night while at a club to photograph a different band. Featuring Chris Shinn, formerly of the bands Celia
Green, and Unified Theory which boasted members of Pearl Jam and former members of Blind Melon, Everything is Energy
turned out to be quite a nice surprise as I've listened to their CD throughout the weekend, getting a good taste of it. Produced
by Chris Shinn and Krisha Sharma at Henson Studios, Everything is Energy's self titled first effort is represented by indie label
The Nest Records. Both the band and the label are out of Los Angeles. Everything is Energy is comprised of Chris Shinn
singing vocals and on lead guitar, David Brotherton on drums, Noah Lebenzon on guitar and Joey Clement on bass.
In listening to the CD, first and foremost, a few descriptive words come to mind for me. Eclectic. Ethereal. Calming. Floaty.
Yes, floaty, despite this being rock music. It's just alternative enough toward the side of new-age that I can use that word. It's
just uplifting enough to be called ethereal. It's motivating, inspirational, a therapeutic work of art for Chris and some of the
other band members. I enjoyed the CD more in my car than in my living room, though I have no complaints about it in either
location. Driving music, in both senses of the word. The sound is just contemporary enough to rank among today's popular
bands, yet new and different enough that Everything is Energy doesn't really sound like anyone else. Oh sure, there are hints
of this and that, which come out here and there, little influences in certain songs such as the slight feel of old Stone Temple
Pilots that I get from this CD, but the sound is definitely its own. A couple of other names that come to mind while trying to
compare the band to others would be Feeder, and even And You Will Know US by the Trail of Dead, who are both extremely
adept in the creativity that they put into their music. It's a nice combination of hard rock staples accentuatd by the addition of
more progressive, alternative layers giving it a full, finished sound that, while it's not really "complex" per se, it's definitely
complete. Well-rounded. It definitely gives me a sensation of ease as I listen, even while there are strong, active beats, and I
find that to be a very positive quality in the disc.
I particularly like the use of reverb in some of the songs, resulting in hint of a retro "Sleep Walk" feel that's slipped into Tracks
1 and 2, Hut and Snake Too (And for any of you kiddies out there that have no idea what I'm talking about, look it up. You've
all heard it, I guarantee it.), and a couple others. I've always been a fan of any music that used guitars to create ambiance like
that as it lends to the whole unearthly feel, creating so much emotion in those songs. On the other hand, Track 5, Want and
Need, definitely attests to the influence that Chris has gained from past projects too, sounding as though it could be something
off a brand new Blind Melon CD if there were one.
Also enjoyable, the 2+-minute instrumental Track 7, The Rest of My Life, which is a lead-in to Track 8, Real Ea$y. Very
basic, some violin and cello with a little bit of acoustic guitar backing, but beautiful in every sense. I especially like how the
melody of The Rest of My Life is infused in to bridge the later parts in Real Easy, blending the two together into a nice
arrangement that revisits the instrumental piece, rounding the songs out. Then there's the last track, Dave's House, a sort of
instrumental/experimental thing which is perfectly at home on this disc as well.
I like to see that an artist can "compose" tracks like that, even if any instrumental parts are only very simple ones. It allows me
to assume that the artist has put a lot of feeling and thought into the final project, rather than simply having blasted out a
bunch of songs just to get a CD out into the public eye. It supports the thought that you can usually tell which artists are
releasing music too soon, just to make money on it, and which artists refuse to release anything until it's "ready" to be
released. Everything is Energy's self titled CD is obviously a product of hard work and much creativity. In the band bio on
MySpace, Chris Shinn states that "I’ve felt compelled to make records that placed originality and beauty over the bottom
line." It's completely obvious in his final product. I hope future efforts from this band are as creative and 'beautiful' as this
one is.
To find out more about Everything is Energy and give a listen in, check out their MySpace at
www.myspace.
com/thesoundIsaw/ or their website at
www.chrisshinn.com . Also, Everything is Energy is just finishing a short club tour,
but expect to be touring again this summer, so don't miss your chance to catch them then.
I first heard of Chris Shinn from listening to the Unified Theory album which is absolutely stellar. When I heard of his new band, Everything is Energy I checked it out online and heard the album on his website. Amazing! I bought the album and have been obsessed since. If you like Unified Theory you will definitely love this. Amazing songs with such unique melodies and sound structures. Very atmospheric mood created by every song. And Chris's voice is distinct and chilling at times, it's great. The album flows so nicely. It is truly a great rock album.
~amazon.com 
