Bodies of Water - 'Ears Will Pop & Eyes Will Blink'

Orchestral indie pop group Arcade Fire is on the top o’ the pops lately, and fans of such music would be well-advised to check out the shimmering gospel hymns of Californians Bodies of Waters. The group’s full-length debut, Ears Will Pop & Eyes Will Blink was recently self-released through the band’s own Thousand Tongues label. Like a less mockable version of The Polyphonic Spree, Bodies of Water has concocted an hour-long sermon of peace, love and pop music with this epic album.

There are pros and cons to this release, though. On the plus side, listeners are offered 13 cohesive tracks of some of the best progressive gospel pop of 2007. A song like “It Moves”—the album’s longest track at just over seven minutes—is a throbbingly lucid affair, full of vigor and fun. Every song is a miniature epic unto itself, fully realized and ready to rock. Songs like “I Guess I’ll Forget the Sound, I Guess, I Guess” are overflowing with harmonies like honey, sweet and delicious.

But on the negative side, the album reuses similar structures. Now, rhythmically, every song has its own style. Listeners can tell “Our Friends Appear Like the Dawn” and “We Are Co-Existors” are by the same band, but there’s no confusing the one for the other.

However, the group tends to overuse a build-up dynamic during the bridges of its songs. Each tune will be a powerfully delightful experience; thrilling and gloriously anthemic up to the bridge, at which point things will tone down for “the quiet part.” Then a phrase will be offered to the listener. Something slightly nonsensical/fruity like, “We are the ones who make the stardust” [Note: line not actually used on Ears Will Pop & Eyes Will Blink, but you get the idea].

Instrumental flourishes will pop up as the line is repeated over and over. Strings and guitars and drums and horns blur together as the song intensifies tenfold. It’s a glorious experience the first time around on track two, “These are the Eyes.” When the same trick is reused on “I Guess I’ll Forget the Sound, I Guess, I Guess,” it’s still cool. But, by track 10, the aptly titled “It is Familiar,” it’s become far too predictable. It’s a thrilling way to present a chorus, but doing it every track kills off the magic of the experience.

All the same, though, Bodies of Water is a band worth checking out. In the age of the iPod Shuffle, the songs on Ears Will Pop & Eyes Will Blink will go over mighty fine every time. The only problem with tracks this epic is that they can be a bit much to handle when presented all at once.