Beautiful Republic, This
Perceptions
William Blake once wrote that "if the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is – infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things through chinks of his cavern." And with Perceptions, This Beautiful Republic has done well to make its viewpoint of our infinite Creator as unobstructed as possible. Right off the bat, with the second song in, "Surrender Saved My Life," vocalist Ben Olin begs, "Keep my heart focused." And whether he’s singing it sweetly, as happens during "For The Life of Me," or screaming it out, which is the way it comes off with "My God," Olin keeps these thirteen songs primarily centered on spiritual things. Stylistically, This Beautiful Republic creates a brand of rock that makes it sound like they’re always on the verge of losing control, akin to riding a runaway train, due to the beat’s propulsive momentum. They’re at their best, however, when breaking from form, which occurs with the nicely moody "A Point Between Extremes." But all in all, This Beautiful Republic comes off looking good with Perceptions. [Forefront] Dan MacIntosh
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