I, The Mighty – Karma Never Sleeps
Album Review by Claudia Boisvert
I think one of the greatest things about being an album reviewer is you get the chance to listen to bands you didn’t know about and to explore way more music than you used to. Sometimes you discover you actually like this new style, sometimes you’re slightly surprised by bands you wouldn’t normally check out – and sometimes, you simply get your mind blown off. This is what happened by the first 10 seconds I start listening to I The Mighty. It wasn’t exactly a breath of fresh air, nor good vibes to receive, but one of those sounds you just hear once, and you already know you really love it.
But, who are they actually ? An indie rock band composed of four members : Brent Walsh (vocals/guitar), Ian Pedigo (guitar), Chris Hinkley (bass/vocals) and Blake Dahlinger (drums). If you’re into Circa Survive’s stuff, you’ll probably like them too. They first released a self-entitled EP in 2008, an album way more acoustic-like and melodic than the one they just put out, but with quite the same dark themes. Hearts and Spades, in 2010, is now considered as being their debut album, as it sounds a lot more like the actual I The Mighty. Their new EP is named Karma Never Sleeps, and contained 6 tracks of a total length of 20 minutes.
So the experience take place with a very few hesitant notes smashed with heavy instruments, and “The Dreamer” begins. We’re given a great look over I The Mighty new style since the very beginning, as the instruments appear to be a lot more dense than before. Yet, they managed to keep some of their old melodious parts, giving them a more mature and experimented sound. Their musical evolution is very perceptible, and as a band this is a goal you’re expected to constantly reach. It also happened lyrically, as they dug more into metaphors and poetry, with every song containing its own story. Thus, “The Dreamer” is about the inevitable love story between two teenagers, one living this love in his dreams instead of asking out his beloved. Cute and touching story, and for once ending well.
Coming up next are “Dancing On A Tightrope” and its short guitar solos, outstanding from a melody otherwise stable. Or maybe are the chorus so addictive we quite forget the rest. Though we easily hook up on the repetitive “I won’t let you bury yourself”, as we probably all experienced one day or another our incapacity to save a close relative not wanting our help. And how frustrating and heartbreaking this can be. After the storm, a softer sound is established with “Cutting Room Floor”, even if it has a heavy political meaning. This song is my favorite one on the album, and it also has been released earlier this year as a single. I think it greatly represents I The Mighty, as it is balanced with mild melodic parts, then more harsh sounds, with nice variations and a well rhythmic chorus. And of course, it expresses a frustration many have those days towards the government while resuming the main topic of the album : Karma never sleeps, therefore, someday, everyone will pay for their bad actions.
On this oh-so-joyful note, the record continues in his normal electric/rock sound, with “The Frame III: Sirocco”. This song is a story told in three parts, the finale being on this one. An interesting concept, in which two lovers were hunted down. In their escape, the girl was shot and died, leaving the man with this need of revenge; this song is about the hunters becoming hunted, and the bitter-sweet victory after the death of his beloved. Taking place in a totally other universe, “These Streets Are Alive” brings us back to the modern 21th century in America, where poverty exists despite all this wealth. Forgotten battle, sad fight between this need for money and this addiction to drugs, the only escape. I The Mighty doesn’t often have joyful themes for their songs, and their truth is upsetting – but, well, it’s still true.
The album ends with “Escalators”, another very good song. It begins with this soft rhythm and desperate voice that somehow managed to stab me into the heart. The beat becomes more dense as the song goes on, explaining what this man made of his life to arrive straight to hell. Once again this concept of karma is very present, as the man destroyed financially many families, then killed a man; but the population raised against him, and gave him death. On this “you only get what you deserve” note, we are taught we better try to be as good as we can, because someday it will be too late to start over. And this concept is something I like about I The Mighty, giving them yes great musical skills, but also a deeper dimension. It is absolutely a band I’ll continue to follow, and so should you, because they have an enormous potential.
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ithemighty
