AbsentStar Entertainment Art "AbsentStar" (Canvasback Music/ Columbia Records) Released Aug 28 2007

Sea Trials was produced by Dan Wilson, lead singer of Semisonic, which you may remember for their hit song “Closing Time,” that appeared in the late 90s. In the opening track of this EP, called “Half Life,” Derek Ingersoll’s vocals and melody line are terribly reminiscent of Muse and a bit of Radiohead, to the point where I heard the influences even before reading that some of their influences are, in fact, Muse and Radiohead. “For God’s Sake” has an interesting juxtaposition between the chorus and the verses where the verses have a very noticeable and somewhat sour baseline but the chorus is straight out of an 80s teen feel-good movie. “If You Like It” is probably the most reminiscent of Muse in style of vocals but what’s not at all similar is the instrumentation, which is more rock and less electronic. “If What You Mean Is Harm” has some cool guitar work in it, but again, I hear Muse. Frankly, I hear Muse in just about all the songs, which is good for me and anyone else that likes them. However, despite the noticeable (at least to me) influences in this EP, the music itself is strong and will hold its own, whether you hear tinges of other bands in there or not.

After several listens, Absentstar has taken elements from certain other and, as of now shall remain nameless, bands that you may or may not recognize, and blended them into a rather interested, strong, and polished sound that is pleasing to the ear. The EP is selling for $5, or you can wait for the full album to come out, which still has an undetermined release date.

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