Quiet Science Study With/Without

Florida group, Quiet Science make no bones about their religious views, but you would never know it judging by their music. This synthy based pop/rock band write massively hooky tunes that are guaranteed resistant to 200 lb test line and irresistible to the ears. And while they might be "religious," the fact is they're to busy kicking some serious butt to ever let that get in their way of writing quality tunes or having one heck of a good time being in a band. Their album, With / Without is quite potentially the best combination between commercial pop and indie rock I've heard in a long time and the fact that it comes from this state, says something about the continued potential of our area.

With / Without might be roughly influenced by bands like Radiohead, U2 and Mew, but the album ends up sounding something like Coldplay or Keane on overdrive. With / Without is so filled with epic pop that it's hard to believe Quiet Science were able to cram it all on one disc. Sounding as if With / Without should be a box set all its own, the songs that make up this disc soar for the skies in the most grandiose and sprawling way possible. Melodic to the point of insanity and written with the goal of filling every arena on the planet, the songs that make up With / Without are so calculatingly colossal that I'm truly amazed they were able to pull it off. But, some bands just have that knack and after a few listens to this album, it's glaringly obvious that Quiet Science clearly have that talent.

Even their ballads seem as though their as large and heart wrenching as the oceans. The tunes go on forever and seem so, pardon the pun, heavenly that it's truly as if they were blessed. With songs so infectious and so massive it's seriously impossible not to like With / Without. These guys have so tapped into that "Chris Martin epic songwriting skill set" that their songs undoubtedly will make people weep openly, their heart skip a beat, and their ears float on a cloud. One listen to their appropriately titled song, "Brilliant," and you'll catch my drift. The song is as it's name says and has a piano/synth/whatever riff that's so hypnotizing you'll sing it in your sleep. This is the sort of song that would make Keane blush for it's simple melodic power that's so convincing. It's impressive stuff to say the least.

With / Without is pretty much like that from beginning to end, it rarely stumbles and even when it does, it does so in grandiose fashion. From their tear jerking ballads to their power chord anthems, Quiet Science are anything but quiet. This is a band whose overpowering riffs and choruses are so mind numbingly good that their album almost serves as a kind of mind control. They've done an awesome job here and With / Without belongs in the same class of records that Keane's debut album, and Coldplay's sophomore effort belong.