The Capsules - "Reverser"

Album review by Mark Cuthbertson

Long ago, from a galaxy far, far, away, a group of mysterious aliens landed in the American Midwest and formed a band known as Shallow. Their sounds were as vast as nebulae and as bright as stars. After a few years of playing their three-dimensional high-flying kid stuff to an international audience, the band jumped away as it exploded in the year 2000.

With Reverser, Julie and Jason Shields and Kevin Trevino have landed a new space vehicle from a more peaceful, more distant realm of outer space. The sweetness of Julie’s voice is captured in the most crystal-clear form to date on these dreamy space lullabies. Jason’s bass lines still follow the most melodic path to anchoring a groove with a more organic tone than in the past. In fact, the entire band has taken a positive step with more tasteful and restrained approach to its use of effects (the most effects-laden song is the instrumental “I Don’t Know Much About Zero”). None of these songs surpass a moderate ballad pace; rather, they float and drift in zero gravity while reflecting cosmic radiance. “They All Went Quietly” is the most up-tempo of the bunch with “I’ll Be the One” and “Bee Keeping” further exemplifying the relaxed atmosphere of the album.

As of last check, the band's website, www.thecapsules.net, was down. In the meantime, you can check out more information at www.shallowcommand.com or www.urinine.com.

--Mark Cuthbertson
mark@thezone.org