Capital Lights "This Is An Outrage" Album Review
Released: 2008-07-08 on Tooth & Nail Records
Tooth & Nail Records’ ever growing list of up-and-coming artists adds Capital Lights (formerly a screamo band called afterEight), an up-tempo pop-punk band. I first heard of Capital Lights earlier this Spring on the Green T Tour with Hawk Nelson and Run Kid Run. The band opened the pop-punk show, playing a couple songs (including a Hannah Montana cover). They impressed me for their unique vocals and entertaining show.
I was excited to hear the band’s debut record This Is An Outrage. The album maintains a consistent—almost too consistent—pop-punk sound. Although their sound is similar to other acts, their vocals and lyrics set them apart.
The band brings us an edgy sound, with vocals similar to The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. In many ways the band is very similar to Red Jumpsuit, but without the screaming aspect. This may come from their deep roots in the screamo scene as afterEight. Here’s what lead vocalist Bryson Phillips says about the song writing process Capital Lights went through, “When we were doing the screamo thing, we were seeing other bands and trying to be just like them…I started writing on an acoustic guitar without trying to plug into any particular formula, just being ourselves and playing 100 percent exactly what we wanted.”
A very brief, fun and quirky intro kicks off “Outrage.” The song is a great choice to begin the album and is a solid track. The edgy “Worth As Much As a Counterfeit Dollar” hits next, and showcases the roots of the band—one of my favorite tracks on the record—you’ll be singing the chorus quickly after hearing it! Next comes another edgy one called “Out of Control,” which is followed by the inspiring “Remember The Day,” another one of my favorites. “Miracle Man” is a lyrically-rich song. “Mile Away” and “Work It out” follow with strength, bringing us into something a little different from the rest of the album, “Let The Little Lady Talk.” “Return” is another edgy song, that takes us into the up-beat “Kick It off.” “Night Of Your Life Is When You Die” is a very catchy song! It’s probably the strongest song on the record, and is another favorite. “Frank Morris” closes the record. It starts off as any other song on the record, but transitions into a laid back track with a strong message. It made me long to hear more acoustics on an album dominated by electric guitars—maybe next time, we can hope anyway.
In the end, Capital Lights is one to hear. They’re a good band, with great potential. They have lots of similarities to the stereo-typical pop-punk band, but they’re vocals and lyrics set them apart from an over-populated and over-clichéd genre. I would like to hear some more instrumentation, and maybe more down-tempo songs, to give the album more diversity.
If you’re a fan of pop-punk definitely check out this fun and energetic band! If they continue to build on their sound, they’ll surely become a household name. If you’re not big into pop-punk, then Capital Lights may not be the best choice for you. They surprised me, they’ve put together a decent pop-punk record, not something easily accomplished in this day and age.
Article by Jeremy Koering, Editor / Photographer / General Writing
Response by: Micah
Posted: 2008-07-09 at 11:07 am
I also seen them with Hawk Nelson and Run Kid Run. They're live show is awesome. The album is amazing. They have great potential to be like a Hawk Nelson or, possibly, Relient K...
Response by: Michael
Posted: 2008-06-28 at 9:07 am
I saw them at Risefest. I was
just on their website today, listening to "Outrage" I love that song.
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This Is An Outrage Song List
1. Outrage
2. Worth As Much As A Counterfeit Dollar
3. Out Of Control
4. Remember The Day
5. Miracle Man
6. Mile Away
7. Work It Out
8. Let The Lady Talk
9. Return
10. Kick It Off
11. Night Of Your Life Is When You Die
12. Frank Morris
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