SONS - Keep Quiet

There was some pretty big hype surrounding SONS before the release of Keep Quiet. People were ready for Keep Quiet to be the record of year and SONS were on the verge of having a nice 2012. It's a pretty tall task for a band on a relatively new and small label.

The hype is pretty well warranted though. Keep Quiet is a great record. My ignorance showed when after several listens through, I finally looked up info on the band and discovered that SONS is the same band as Sons of God, who's debut The Genesis Project is one of my favorite Come and Live releases. (It also explained why Doubt was such a familiar song to me).

SONS reminds me of a more indie/more post-hardcore version of My Epic. A little bit of a contradiction, I know. But Keep Quiet has a really nice subtle intensity to it. Where My Epic is all or nothing, big or small, SONS balances the two in a way you don't hear outside of post-rock very often. The quiet still moments are captivating and hold your attention until the music explodes. At times it seems like caged intensity (Under the Sun) but other times it hits you square between the eyes (Masters of Flattery, Doubt). Tracks like Believe In Something and Keep Quiet walk a fine line between full on explosion and beautiful melodies. The guitar riffs are captivating and the timely synth lines that flow in and out help build each track. The album flows like watching waves hit the shore. In and out, quiet then intense, each one beautiful and compelling.

I'd be lying if I said the record hit me instantly because it didn't. It took a couple of listens and some real quality listens before the songs really started to hit me. But once they did, they didn't leave me. The lyrics are thoughtful but the delivery of the words still makes it so the songs get stuck in your head.

Keep Quiet is a stellar record that deserves the hype it's gotten so far. This is one of the best albums I've heard in this young year.