Review by Alejandra Elisabet
This five-piece band hailing from Austin, Texas have only been around since late October 2013. Do they tick all the right boxes? Let’s see, shall we? Can this band capture an audience’s attention? Check. Will their profile grow? Check. Will their fan base grow? Check. Do I see big things for them in 2015? Check. My work here is done.
On to a serious note, I Woke Up is nothing short of brilliance. I love it when I have to review a band that excites me, musically of course. This band has a great sound, which will appeal to a wide audience. The writing process was very organic. Their intention is simply to write great, honest music. They spent a great deal of time living and writing together so this process moved very quickly. Nominee is very committed as a band; they just want to play music. The band is unsigned. “Why?” is the first question I asked. This is quality music, which can only go from strength to strength. England is waiting with bated breath for their arrival. Make it happen.
Let us talk about the music. The production has a very clean feel to it. It is original, raw and with a touch of nostalgia. The vocals are astonishing; a young Pierce The Veil springs to mind. Yes, I feel this band will be huge in the near future.
The track list is as follows: “Requiem,” “Cliffhanger,” “Without You In Front Of Me,” “Suffer,” “Sandpaper,” “Converging,” and “Wreckage.”
The music has orchestral elements, which works so well when the vocalist can sing. I kid you not. (I photographed The Elijah’s last show at the underworld, November 2012. They had a three-piece string orchestra, which blew the audience away. Metal with classical who would’ve known? So good.)
“Requiem” has quite a dark intro to say the least, gothic, if you will. It then leads into Chris’ unique sounding vocals. This track really embodies emotion in its rawest form. This was also the newest single that they put out. Overall, this track is radio worthy. Check it out.
“Cliffhanger” is a very straight up song. The intro has a nostalgic feel too it as does the whole song, while not straying from their “Nominee” sound. They are homegrown and organic.
“Without You In Front Of Me” is about heartbreak and relationships, to a degree. The intro to this song has an 80’s feel to it, which will definitely be a crowd pleaser when played live.
“Suffer” reminds me of Fall Out Boy in their early days. It has a pop punk feel to it. This is beach party music, beer, sea, and sand. It’s not your typical soft-core kind of song, but when you listen to it, you need to be dancing with the girls.
“Sandpaper” is executed perfectly from start to finish. It has a very 90’s vibe to it. This would be the song you listen to when you are going through a breakup; it pulls at the heartstrings and then you realize that the tears aren’t even worth it.
“Converging” has a semi fast-paced intro, which works in harmony with the strong vocals. The drum beat and the guitar riffs work because the production is of such a high standard and there is nothing left to say. The song is on fire.
“Wreckage” is about addiction and the problems that we face though our lives. The introduction is haunting with incredible vocal from Chris and the guitar riffs are old school. It finishes off with this beautiful string orchestral outro.
To sum up, this entire album is flawless.
Be sure to check Nominee out on the Anberlin final world tour on October 23rd in Austin, Texas. They’re opening!
Rating: 5/5
Listen to “Wreckage” “Cliffhanger” and “Requiem”