Tooth & Nail Records broke into the Christian music scene a decade ago with a bang. They brought bands like MxPx, Plankeye, Starflyer 59, Danielson, The OC Supertones and Project 86 to the forefront of the Christian music industry. Many of these bands were playing music that was fresh and new, music that wasn't being produced by any other mainstream Christian record label or even by many secular labels. Brandon Ebel and his staff have continued to release music that has not been able to find an outlet anywhere else, but over the last few years the edge has begun to grow dull. Recent releases from Tooth & Nail have not been, for the large part, fresh and innovative.
Holland's debut release on Tooth & Nail, entitled Photographs & Tidalwaves, is a good example of this trend. This three piece band has released a very good alt-rock album that doesn't bring us anything we all haven't already heard a hundred times before. Holland can be favorably compared to Bleach, whose fans should be encouraged to check these boys out.
Photographs & Tidalwaves keeps a nice upbeat tempo throughout its twelve tracks with the two notable exceptions of "Losing Jim," a song of personal loss, and the title track, a song of the loss of California. This would make a great album to listen to while driving around in your car. The other song that really stands out is "Goodnight Texas" which rambles on for almost eight minutes.
Will Holland's lyrics are for the most part on the dark side of melancholy which stands in bright contrast with the upbeat tempo of most of the album. Aaron Sprinkle produced the album and added some guitar and vocal work, but there are only hints of the sounds from his solo work present here and less of anything that sounds like Poor Old Lu.
The only glaring complaint I have with this album is the lack of creativity either lyrically or musically. Everything here sounds good and it's fun to listen to a few times but I foresee this album populating bargain bins and used music stores before too long. I would like to hear more from Holland in the future. The band does have potential and I hope they will live up to it in future releases.
2.5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
Decapolis April 2003Reviewed by Tyler Baber"The bottom line for us is that we don't want to be stereotyped and called one thing or another," these are the words of Josiah Holland, bassist of Tooth and Nail's Holland whose debut album is Photographs & Tidalwaves. You may have read those words and thought you heard them spoken by another musician or band. It seems while critics and fans throw around catchy and meaningless genre names, bands…The Phantom Tollbooth 2003Reviewed by John WilsonHolland's debut record, Photographs & Tidalwaves, almost defies categorization. It's not emo, it's not indie rock, it's not grunge-pop, it's not funk-metal-folk-aggro-core or any of the hastily-thrown-together appellations that appear and disappear with postal regularity. After a listen or two it dawns: Holland is just plain rock. Rock with a pop sheen and some syrupy-sweet hooks, sure, but rock…Similar sounding releases
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