CD Review: Framing Hanley - "The Sum of Who We Are" (Imagen Records/ Independent Label Group)
In all honesty, Framing Hanley’s The Sum of Who We Are should have been the band’s follow-up to
their massive debut The Moment. By no
means is that an indictment of A Promise
to Burn, their 2010 sophomore album, but The Sum of Who We Are sounds like a logical progression from the tormented
aggressiveness of The Moment. This is
by far the most well-rounded the band has ever come across, as The Sum of Who We Are combines the melodious
with the discordant, taking the guitar-driven destructive best of The Moment (“Criminal,” “Collide,” “No
Saving Me”) with sleek ballads coated in a glossy sheen (“Unbreakable,” “Science,”
“Streetlights and Silhouettes”). Frontman Nixon’s vocal interplay with Lindsey
Stamey on “Rollercoaster” is picture perfect, and while it might hard for
longtime fans of the band to swallow, The
Sum of Who We Are might just be the best Nixon has ever sounded vocally. “Simple
Life” is not only a highlight on The Sum
of Who We Are, it’s also a highlight of the bands entire discography; a
bouncy call-and-response number with subtle synth underpinnings. While the band
may have dropped out of the public eye over the last half decade, The Sum of Who We Are should be more
than enough to serve as a proper reintroduction, reminding everyone along the
way just what Framing Hanley is sonically capable of.
Grade: B+
Go Download: “No Saving Me”
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