Reviews

This is Bedlight for Blue Eyes’ second album, and I didn’t listen to the first album.  This is my first time hearing them really.  I remember hearing a couple tracks when the first album came out online somewhere, probably Myspace.  I didn’t think much of them then, just an average pop punk band that wasn’t anything new.  So before listening to this CD, I had a few qualms.
 
The first track did not change any of my original thoughts of the band, as “The City and the Ghost” is a simple, catchy pop punk song about a girl, and it is what you could consider a single.  The second track is almost the same thing and reminded me of Cartel, which isn’t bad, but doesn’t show much originality.  But when the third song, “Ms. Shapes,” started, I knew something was up.  The song begins with a solid rock intro and only gets better.  By the chorus, Bedlight for Blueyes had regained my attention.  Finally, the guitar solo came in and rounded out the great track.  This is my favorite song on the album. 
 
It seems that after “Ms. Shapes,” the album takes a turn and each song following is both more varied and enjoyable.  When I got to the fifth song, “Walk With Me,” I was once again thrown off guard, not so much by the song but by the placement of it in the album.  Most acoustic ballads are at the end of albums, but this one was right in the middle.  I like the change of order and the song is quite good as well.  Towards the end of the track, I swear I heard a female voice, but it isn’t credited in the album notes.  It might have just been one of the guys in the band, but I’m totally convinced it was female.  “Life on Life’s Terms,” the title track, is about a friend who loses his girlfriend to a “lesser” guy.  Overall, the song is very interesting and is a great positive song showing the power of a good friend.  The rest of the songs all have different variations to them and all stand out for different reasons.
 
For coming into this CD thinking not too much about the band other than the fact that they weren’t horrible, this is a great CD.  The production is clean and polished but there is definitely a sense of raw, rock n roll energy.  The lyrics are pretty straightforward and can get very personal, like in “Broken Door,” which is about not knowing your father.  They are also not so overly poetic that you really have to dig into the song to get it, which is good for me because I’m not very good at that.  The last song, “Michael,” is about the singer losing his older brother and reacting to the reality of it.  The song is one of the best on the album and in normal fashion, it is the acoustic ballad closer.  The whole album clocks in at just over 40 minutes in 11 tracks, which is a decent length with a good variation in songs; no intros, interludes, or outros.
 
This album is definitely a guilty pleasure for me, as this is not a typical band I would enjoy listening to.  For me, it is one of those records that grow on me each time I listen to it, and those are the best albums.  It also features some double bass, which is hard for me to not like, as I have metal in my blood.  Motion City Soundtrack mixed with Cartel and a rock n roll backbone can sum up the album’s sound.  I know this seems pretty boring on paper, and I probably would right it off immediately, but I think you will be surprised if you take it for a spin.  If you are looking for some punk style melodies with some rock n roll substance, than this is for you.