From time to time, an album comes around that catches me completely off guard. In the case of Beat Radio’s sophomore offering, Safe Inside the Sound, I was drawn to the incredibly emotional lyrics and unusual vocals that make this band one of a kind. They’re different, yeah, but it’s a refreshing break from the cookie cutter bands we so often hear. Lead singer, Brian Sendrowitz, possesses an incredible gift in his raw voice. As with anything different, however, it can be difficult to digest for new listeners.
The album begins with “Follow You Around”, a song with incredible depth that prepares listeners for the lo-fi, electronically-effected journey that is Safe Inside the Sound. Like the band’s previous album, The Great Big Sea, most of the tracks are set up by a progression of sounds that introduce the soft vocals. There’s a sense of hopefulness in both records that induces a calming energy (wow, that sounded very hippie of me).
Though the two albums are very similar, Safe Inside the Sound is more of a step in the direction of experimental indie. The incredibly warm “Green Luxury Condo” contains no lyrics, yet produces an incredible sentimental quality through the use of various instruments. It’s followed by “Stranger Flower”, a fierce ballad that provides a perfect example of what Beat Radio does best. It isn’t the complexities of the music created by the band, but simplistic approach that makes them different than ANY other band.
I am truly a believer in the style of music produced by Beat Radio because you can just feel how much they put into the material, and am therefore giving this album a rating of 4 out of 5.
