Copeland - Pin Your Wings

In case you don't know it, I hate emocore. Hate it with a passion. So much is my distaste with it that I don't think I've owned a record by an "emo" band since Sunny Day Real Estate released The Rising Tide five years ago. But let's face it, every once in a while, I hear something that transcends the genre into which it (or its creators) has been placed. I have to give it to Atlanta-based Copeland for being just such a crew. Beyond the confines of the blanket of "emo" (ugh, am I the only one sick of that word "emo"?) Copeland seem to have a knack for generating shimmering pop music. The band have been hard at work on the follow-up to 2003's indie pop gem Beneath Medicine Tree. They've put out a couple of EP's in the down time, one a split EP with Pacifico, and a collection of covers by Carly Simon, Phil Collins, Berlin, Billy Joel, and Stevie Wonder. If you've been caught in the glow already, you should expect the best for yourself on March 22. Copeland's latest collection of beautiful emo-pop compositions is of the "all killer no filler" genre. On their soon-to-be-released In Motion for indie label The Militia Group, Copeland offers the solid proof of why they deserve to stand out. Far from being cliched "radio emo", the songwriting and the performances are accessible without being passe. Lead singer Aaron Marsh knows how to use his vocal range to its full advantage, and the diversions presented by the nuanced layering of vocals and instrumentation make this worth the attention. Music like this cannot wait to be heard by people who can appreciate it.

If you want to, you can hear a new song from the album every Friday over at Pure Volume. Both this song and another track from the new album, entitled "Love Is A Fast Song", are in preview now. If you like what you hear, then you'll be very pleased when the album becomes available. If you like it as much as I did, hell why wait? You can pre-order the album for only $10 US by clicking here and it will be delivered to you on March 15th along with a bonus acoustic EP. It's tough to beat that kind of deal for 2 CD's from a band this good.

BONUS TRACK: No One Really Wins