There�s something about On My Signal that makes the seconds before the first notes of one of their songs like the crackling days before a storm. The anticipation of the very air around your speakers is tangible enough to nudge your hand faster towards pushing Play. It seems like everyone is eager to dive into listening to this music, and who can blame them?
This is the type of band that can take a single image and transform it into four intense minutes of melodic glory. My favorite example is the fifth track off their 2004 EP Exit Parameters, �Words Lost to White Noise.� The band seems to take an old photograph of two people beside each other on a ferry and merely brush away the dust. The resulting song shows the listener what was beneath the preconceptions of the photo while still leaving some questions up to interpretation and answer. You�ll find the same level of depth in each moment of every On My Signal song, because that�s what these guys do best. Their tracks are both pure and tangled with mystery, open and seductively secretive, easily understandable by all yet strikingly personal to each individual set of ears. And that�s what makes On My Signal so exciting and enthralling to hear. It takes a devoted listener to sort through the complications and grasp the essence behind the smoothly blended elements that each band member brings. No one person really leads or overpowers, which showcases the band as one amazingly well-balanced force. Each song, while shining with the characteristic golden On My Signal touch, differs from the rest and makes the entire EP well worth listening to. To listen to just one or a few parts would be like skipping chapters in one of the best books you�ll ever read.
Exit Parameters is a shot of magical insight directly into the soul. The lyrics, harmony, and steady, driving beat come together for a passionate whirlwind that magnifies simplicity into a multifaceted splay of sound. The EP is solid proof that while On My Signal are just starting to show others exactly what they�re capable of, they�re barreling down the remainder of the path at the speed of light, leaving an exquisite sound in their wake.
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A.A. '05 |
