The Flight Away - If I Could Reach the Sky EP
SEGA SWING is a refreshing homage to the 80/90’s chip-tune era that respectfully borrows the sounds and aesthetics without lazily stealing the samples and melodies. The lead singer, Jon Siejka, beautifully glides over the tracklisting, adding further personality. Best of all is the incorporation of drum samples which sound completely fitting and not outdated. Since its original release date on May 9th, 2013, no artist has been able to recreate the magic of the late video game era with as much charm and polish. His debut EP, If I Could Reach the Sky EP, released August 6, 2012, is equal in quality to the albums that proceeded it, though it leaves a lot to be desired.
If I Could Reach the Sky is a gorgeous opener. Somehow the aesthetics are unique and flaunt enough to distract from the straightforward 2000’s pop-punk songwriting. To its advantage, the lyrics are easy to hum along to, and its emotion is genuine. A Moment In Time is another standout, purely for its strong melody and exceptional execution. Sadly, unlike the grander Sega Swing, If I Could Reach the Sky EP is a one trick pony. There are barely any instrumental detours, and the formula becomes stale once one can see through the aesthetic and realise all that’s present is a track-listing devised completely of Good Charlotte knock-off’s. This is often, as the song structures are repetitive. If one is nostalgic for this time period, it will certainly appeal to the fan; however, it’s a shame an album that impeccably updates the chip-tune era of instrumentals would be constricted to the musical tropes of another.
Another problem plaguing If I Could Reach the Sky EP is its lack of range. Outside the repetitive song structure is a lack of range in emotion; the album’s lyrical content is diverse, though since the aesthetics rarely detour from energetic and upbeat, they often mismatch. I Miss the Kid and Ain’t No Time Between are good examples of this phenomena. Imagine if System of a Down wrote Chop Suey! to the tune of Girlfriend by Avril Lavign; it’s just awkward. The bonus tracks present on the EP further divulges that The Flight Away was incapable of working outside his own formula.
Lastly, in line with everything preceeding this statement in this review, If I Could Reach the Sky EP is restrictive to a particular audience. If you’re a fan of these styles, this album will strike a chord. The strengths of the aesthetics are incredibly strong, and they are powerful enough to overcome the underlying flaws. Furthermore, the emotion is undeniably genuine, as it’s expressive. It’s mostly the lack of range that hurts it; had The Flight Away kept his stronger pop songs, and experimented outside of them, it could have been a wonderful album. Resultingly, the album fails to make an impression.
Average
Listen to it here:
https://theflightaway.bandcamp.com/album/if-i-could-reach-the-sky-ep
The Flight Away - If I Could Reach the Sky EP
