Review Summary: Girls In Hawaii successfully mixes a hodgepodge of different genres to create a solid album.
Girls in Hawaii, the name itself suggests a tropical maybe even beach boys sound. What you get, however, is completely the opposite. Girls in Hawaii is a band from Belgium that is also sub-popular in France. Like stated above, their group name does not pertain to their sound at all. In some songs they resemble the slow tempo of
Dust In the Wind by Kansas. In some, they remind you of the fast paced guitar of the editors. Very versatile in their sounds, Girls in Hawaii is sure to make an impact with their first album.
Released throughout Europe in early 2004, From Here to There was Girls in Hawaii’s debut album. This is their second album and they have improved considerably within Plan Your Escape. Girls in Hawaii is made up of
Christophe Léonard (guitar, keyboard) ,
Daniel Offermen (bass) ,
Brice Vancauwenberghe(guitar) , [/b], his brother
Lionel Vancauwenberghe (vocals, guitar) ,
Antoine Wielemans (vocals, guitar) , and lastly the man who ties the music together which is
Denis Wielemans on drums. Relatively new to the music scene, Girls in Hawaii hopes to make a good second impression in From Here to There. Let’s take a look shall we?
The album starts off with
This Farm will end up in fire. Ironically, being one of the lighter songs on the album. This song sounds like a light Interpol song with the vocals being fluctuated. Christophe is quite amazing in his keyboard performance in this song and eventually makes it worth listening to. The song picks up about 3 minutes in, and then continues to alternate from Just vocals to three guitars, keyboard, and 2 vocalists. This happens to create a great Indie Pop song. From here we go straight to
Sun of The Sons , a song that sounds like it was straight off a beach boy’s album. Two vocalists synchronizing in a medium – high pitched soothing song. The keyboards presence becomes apparent about two minutes into the song when it is given a major role with a guitar.
Coming up is the song
bored , one of the best of the album. With the guitar sounding like the guitar of a regular rock song, but the vocals being quite sullen and rarely increasing in volume this creates a very unique song.
The next song may take you by surprise.
Shades of Time is definitely not a indie pop song. This is acoustic picking with a slight presence of a guitar to keep pace and two vocalists. The result is a very sullen Kansas –
dust in the wind sounding song. The main focus being on the lyrics and, in the latter part of the song, the keyboard.
The album keeps the same sound within
fields of gold . This song however is double the length of
Shades of Time and does not pick up until midway through. However the song adds in an electric guitar into the background towards the end of the song. Just as you’re getting used to this type of sound, Girls in Hawaii sends you a curve ball.
Couples on TV is a very folk sounding song, with a harmonica and even an accordion appearing late into the song. The result being one of the most unique sounding songs on the album.
Then we are taken into the song
GrassHopper, a very fast paced guitar focused song. The church organ actually makes an appearance a minute in. Then the harmonica comes, almost obnoxiously, overshadowing the guitar and drums in the background. Being 2 minutes long
GrassHopper acts as a wake up call coming directly after
Couples on TV.
Colors takes us back to the slow paced side of Girls in Hawaii. An very eerie song due to the keyboard and a synth being the main focus. This song may be a bit drawn out but in no time you’re taken to
Birthday Call.
Birthday Call is quite a surprise, with the vocals actually being changed midway through the song. The song really picks up very hard and then go’s back to a Acoustic/Keyboard/Drums combo that ends up being quite soothing.
Road To Luna starts with a little electric guitar picking and then a full blown presence of the keyboard. Then stops completely, making you anxious for the brief 5 second pause. This song has no vocals and is a complete compilation of Electric/Acoustic guitar, Keyboard, and drums. Now we are nearing the end of From Here to There with
coral. This track is not really a song in anyway. Just some keyboard and drums to keep you amused for about one minute.
Summer Storm, however, is a standard song. Sounding a lot like most of the medium tempo songs on this album, this song does not really strike you. It is definitely not bad, but nothing that we have not already heard from the album. Now we are at the end of the album,
Plan Your Escape starts off with church bells. An acoustic begins a tune, and what sounds like rocks being thrown at a wall periodically appears within the song. A very sullen vocal performance that actually saddens you after Summer Storm.
Girls in Hawaii makes a great second album in Plan Your Escape, and correctly mixes a combination of The Editors to Kansas to Interpol. The result being a fantastic first album from a band across the pond. Totaling up at about an hour and ten minutes, this album does not lack anything content-wise. However some repetition within some songs tend to get boring after the first play, and does not necessarily create the best playback album. But, Girls in Hawaii makes a great second album, undoubtedly winning over some fans and making some great music in the process.
Recommended Songs
Couples on TV
Bored
Birthday Call
Shades Of Time
4 / 5 Excellent!
