Alesana - Try This With Your Eyes Closed

Original Release as and EP in 2005 cover

Re-release cover in 2008

Band Members in this album: Dennis Lee - Vocals, Shawn Milke - Vocals/Guitar/Piano, Patrick Thompson - Guitar, Adam Ferguson - Guitar/Vocals, Jeremy Bryan - Drums

Current Band Members: Dennis Lee - Screaming Vocals, Shawn Milke - Vocals/Guitar/Piano, Patrick Thompson - Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals, Jeremy Bryan - Drums, Shane Crump - Bass Guitar/Vocals, Jake Campbell - Rhythm Guitar

Genre: Screamo/Rock

Track Listing:

1. Apology

2. Endings Without Stories

3. And They Call This Tragedy

4. Not A Single Word About This

5. Red and Dying Evening

6. Congratulations, I Hate You

7. Early Mourning

8. Goodbye, Goodnight, For Good

10. Beautiful In Blue

"Try This With Your Eyes Closed is Alesana before we were truly Alesana. It was even before we were blessed with Adam and Jeremy in the band. It was our beginning. Patrick, Dennis, and I knew we had something special: it was just a matter of putting the pieces toghether properly. As I listen through this recored I smile a lot because I immediately am swept back into the tiny storage unit at Morningstar Storage where we began writing and first became a band, a family."

- Shawn Mike of Alesana (quote from the inside cover of the re-release version)

Record info/ Band history:

Although the band's members first began playing together in Baltimore, Maryland, the band officially formed in October 2004 in Raleigh, North Carolina, by Shawn Milke, Patrick Thompson, Dennis Lee, Steven Tomany and Daniel Magnuson. The name of the band was directly derived from Alice-anna St. which they lived on when playing in Baltimore, MD. Alice-anna St.(Alesana) is located in Fells Point, a neighborhood in Baltimore. Alesana was the first band to join Tragic Hero Records in 2005, and they 3 demo version songs called "Apology", "Beautiful in Blue" and "Goodbye, Goodnight for Good" was featured on a compilation All The Tragedy Money Can't Buy. Later they released their debut EP, Try This With Your Eyes Closed, in June of that year. They toured in the United States, including an appearance at the Cornerstone Festival. In the same year Daniel Magnuson was replaced by Will Anderson.

Since Try This With Your Eyes Closed, Alesana has also released two other successful albums entitled: On Frail Wings Of Vanity And Wax (2006), and Where Myth Fades To Legend (2008).

Review:

I personally first heard about Alesana from watching the TV channel Fuse (which I highly recommend watching since they ACTUALLY play music), but really got into them once my friend Lindsey started listening to them and got me "Try This With Your Eyes Closed" for my 15th birthday this year. I gotta say, so far I am HOOKED on this record. Since it is their first acutally release, you can really feel the drive that this band feels to become successful. Compared to their newer albums this album I think is the best at really showing who Alesana is and why they are here doing what they do today. Every single song is unique, different sounding, and keeps you anxious for more. I recommend this band and album to those of you who listen to screamo, but prefer it to be mixed along with other vocal styles as well instead of just screaming throughout the whole song. Alesana is definetly a band to check out by all means, even if you aren't a fan of screamo.

Currently my favorite songs on the album are Apology, Endings Without Stories, and Chongratulations,I Hate You. Apology is the first track of the album and comes in with a soft beginning, then suddenly out of know where blows you in the face. That is one thing that I love about this song, along with the meaning and style. Dennis Lee has a wonderful singing voice, along with Shawn Mike, and this song definetly shows it. This song is definetly worth listening to if you are just starting to listen to Alesana. Endings Without Stories is a song that just keeps you rocking throughout the whole thing. This is the first song that Alesana ever wrote, and honestly, I think it is one of their very best. The chorus is one that you'll have repeating inside your head over and over agin. Congratulations, I Hate You has a beginning that you don't really hear from most screamo bands, a piano into played by none other than Shawn Mike himself. This song shows just how many talents that Alesana has and how they stay true to their sound and their music. This song is one that I can't stop listening to over and over again and I love how they go from softer sounding to intantly kicking you in the face again. There is no stopping Alesana.

Those of you who are listeners of Alesana and have heard this record feel free to post your own reviews in the comments. I'd love to hear them!

Keep Rocking,

Elizabeth