简介
Sibling-based Blush's first full-length album, From the Falls to the Path, is a bit of a departure from the group's self-titled EP. They added a bassist and switched a non-related guitar player for another brother, and while Mary Cushman hasn't stopped singing about lost and jaded love, she, and the rest of the band have gotten a whole lot angrier about it. There are only a few hints left of the softer picked guitars and poppier melodies that dominated the EP. Even "What Is Left," which starts out with a sliding electric guitar and acoustic chords, picks up enough steam to produce a melancholy solo that adds to the dramatic emotion of the song. Ms. Cushman is practically weeping as she finishes the last refrain of "I'll wait 'til my heart explodes/I'll save what is left for you," she's so affected. Interestingly, despite the musical dissimilarities, the singer seems to have partially styled her vocals on ***, which actually works pretty well with the driving modern rock her brothers provide for her. She voices her vowels as if rules don't really apply, stretching out syllables to blend into power chords and aggressive riffs. Musically, Blush doesn't stray far from their contemporaries, and four or five songs into the From the Falls to the Path the songs begin to sound a bit formulaic, or at least like they've been played before. This isn't necessarily a bad thing: the Cushmans can write some good hooks (the opener, "Teething," for example, or "Steady," with its catchy, Wild-Strawberries-esque repetition of "I know what you want, I know what you've done/I'll still give all of me, to keep this steady") that more than make up for the moments in which things fall a little short. Yeah, it may not be mind-blowing music, it may all seem a bit familiar, but it's unpretentious and does what it's supposed to do: provide an outlet for their, and hopefully their listeners', pain-ridden souls. ~ Marisa Brown Recording information: Mars Studios, Cleveland, OH. Personnel: Mary Cushman (vocals); Gavin Cushman, Andrew Cushman (guitar); Matt Cushman (drums). Audio Mixer: Mike Zirkel.
