Copeland - Beneath Medicine Tree

I had a chance to see this band play the other night, but happened to be hanging out with two Silent Uproar executives, so I gladly skipped out on the performance. Anyways, better start the review before I ramble… Atlanta’s youthful Copeland play pop-rock similar to Jimmy Eat World or maybe, dare I say, Dashboard Confessional. Some may call it indie, some could say emo, or, heck, I can just invent another meaningless term and call it “mainstreamo”… whatever. This four-piece got their start by recording a split 7" with Pacifico in early 2001, then eventually ended up being scouped out of gummy, pop-rock masses and picked up by California-based The Militia Group. Beneath Medicine Tree is a flat-out catchy album, but not in that annoying way. Copeland writes stunning melodies and develops harmonies that one couldn’t help but love. Aaron Marsh has a beautiful and distinct voice, and even though all these songs are about the stock topics of love and girls, the lyrics are much more mature than your typical band in this genre. From the piano-driven opener, "Brightest," to the relaxed closer, "When Finally Set Free," Copeland will most likely keep your attention. Every song on the record is solid, with the first place awards going to “Take Care” and “When Paula Sparks”. Yet, what makes this album even more unique is that, without a doubt, it's a perfect album to fall asleep to. All the songs are written with a certain ambient softness, and there is nothing aggressive in the least bit. Overall, minus a couple tracks near the end that get a little dull, it's pretty much a flawless pop-rock record, and an album that will reveal more and more goodness every time through it. With the recent mainstream success of Jimmy Eat World and the like, expecting Copeland to get signed to a major soon wouldn't be too absurd. So, look for these guys on the shirts of 13 year-old girls everywhere (the real measure of success) in the near future. [www.thecopelandsite.com]