Posted: June 16th, 2008
Contributed By: Nick

	Purchase @ MySpace.com via SnoCap
	theAmend is: Brian Thomas (Vocals) Bryan Hughes (Guitar) Seth Rowlette (Guitar) Brian Ambercrombie (Bass) Matt Sharon (Drums)

Overview: Living in Tennessee, TuneLabMusic.com’s very own Chris Smith is surrounded by heaps of talent. He was the first to bring our attention to a little Knoxville band that calls themselves theAmend; after just a few listens, this coffee shop quintet made the soy latte jams of Starfucks XM Radio beg for mercy and left us craving more. The first sips of theAmend were tasted in early 2006, when these five cronies decided to brew some music to challenge the masses, as well as themselves. Their flavor was felt instantly, and the band trekked to Chapel Hill, North Carolina (the site of puke, er, I mean Duke) in late 2006 to track a full length album. Their Juan Valdez/trusty goat tandem was production duo Al Jacobs and Mitch Marlow, and after only 240 hours of espresso binging, theAmend cranked out ‘A Deafening Silence‘. The record was made public in April 2007 and brought not only critical acclaim, but impressive sales as well, earning the boys a chance to open for national acts such as Days of the New, Evans Blue, and Sick Puppies. theAmend locked in with producer/Dark new Day front-man Brett Hestla around Kwanzaa time in 2007, and ventured to Hestla’s studio in Orlando, Florida to lay down some hot new joints. Four songs later, ‘The Let Down‘ was born, and was recently made available for purchase on the band’s MySpace page.

The Good: I’m not really sure why theAmend settled on ‘The Let Down‘ as the title to their shiny, new EP, because disappointment is about the last thing you will feel after these sixteen minutes. “The Let Down” goes first, and instead of following the stereotypical first track prototype of socking you in the teeth, theAmend relies on colorful guitars and impassioned vocals to ease into their latest craft. Armed with crippling melodies, “The Let Down” boasts an exploratory vibe that opens the song up tremendously, rewarding the band’s natural, free spirited approach with huge results. The driving “Revolution” follows up the title tune eloquently, where the band’s heavyweight musicianship couples fluently with Brian Thomas’ humble, but emotion-packed vocal delivery. The chorus of “Revolution” is as smooth as a baby’s silk and the bridge is invigorating, giving jaunt number two an extra shot of thoroughness. With a heartfelt, almost nostalgic introduction, “Return to Me” is sensual and sultry, a reflective song buoyed by crafty dynamics; its closing moments are imbued with an orchestral piece, making the allusion to the song’s opening line the perfect cherry on top. ‘The Let Down‘ reaches its final destination with the acoustic number “Welcome Home”; theAmend roll the dice a bit by using a whimsical, ballad type conclusion to only a four paragraph essay, but they rolled 7’s. “Welcome Home” breathes with lyrical wizardry and steady progression, with enough vibrancy and enchantment to prove this strings-only tune has some bollocks. ‘The Let Down‘ might seem too shallow to dive into at a depth of four songs, but the professionalism and soul of theAmend give ‘The Let Down‘ a strong set of floaties that allow it to swim in the deep end.

The Bad: I can’t be too caustic with ‘The Let Down‘ because of its brief lifespan, but perhaps that is its biggest flaw. The EP is dripping with all the right elements, yet at only four songs of age, ‘The Let Down‘ gets rung out to dry far too quickly, road-blocking some of the trails the band blazed. Other than that, ‘The Let Down‘ is a quality contender. Now, onto personal matters. You may have remembered my featuring theAmend in my first list of “25 Unsigned Bands to Know” back in January. The band was grateful for the opportunity, and they vowed to spread the word about TuneLab Music anyway they could. I’ll be damned when I saw them misspell the site on their MySpace page not once, but twice (a blog headline, a reference to the list in their bio). Really, I’m only teasing, but because there wasn’t much to burn at the pyre from ‘The Let Down‘ I had to keep my brutality streak alive somehow.

Bottomline: theAmend have come up with another impressive outing in ‘The Let Down‘. I have never been a fan of Brett Hestla’s production until now, as his work really complements the band’s music well. Tennessee might be swarming with bees trying to taste some honey, but let it be known that the harmonious buzzing of ‘The Let Down‘ is enough to get theAmend both a meal on the finest honeysuckle in town and enough armor to scare off any bear that tries to foul its comb. From all of us here at TunelabMusics.com (in the words of theAmend), ‘The Let Down‘ is highly recommended

Rating: 9 out of 10