Sky Meets Earth - Turn It On

Hear The Track Here

First out of the review bag this month is a request from the Rebelriffs blog. Sky Meets Earth are a 'a rock band from the US' (Wichita seeing as ya axed) and further state that Turn It On is 'our catchiest' song. Brave and courageous, or foolhardy froth? One mans catchy is another mans boredom after all. The track is from a freely downloadable six track EP they have on release called Morning, which you can either download or listen to at the above link. Seems like this band is only too aware there actually IS a point to giving away free music, and more power to them for it. They are live gigging band, and that is definitely where the payoff is for bands like this to survive and mature thanks to a blend of live gigging and merchandise. See, who needs the big boys? In my own internet experience, this is a great place to advertise what you do to the wider world but unless your name is Google, I doubt that you will get rich and famous from it. At least, not right yet anyway. The audience has to change before that can happen and I see that as only being a question of time.

Half full or half empty, you decide... :)

Being a terminally curious kind of guy I did have a quick drive by listen to the other five tracks on the EP and I think I agree that Turn It On is their best track, certainly from a commercial standpoint - this is made for radio play. Obviously I have devoted more time to Turn It On but what all six tracks show is that here is a more than competent band, who write excellent rock pop songs and back it up with a decent, but not great, production. While their other tracks are much more moody rock, Turn It On is pure pop (in an American rock kinda way) and I am now cursed with a familiar affliction. See, this track reminds me so much of something else and I'm jiggered if I can put my finger on it. Either that or its so good at what it does, it creates an instant bond between listener and musician. Ahhh, but I'm an old cynic and I am bound to delve further.
I think the answer lies in two areas, the way the song is structured and the way the vocalist(s) deliver it. While there is more than a whiff of American Alternative about the track, it's still endearing enough to snag even the casual listener and that, my friends, is the very essence of what pop means to me. Soundwise, Sky Meets Earth come across as somewhere between Crowded House and REM and that isn't a bad combination in my books. When all is said and done though, the thing that stands out is that Turn It On is a song with legs, it may take some time to reach its final audience but it won't lose anything because of that. A great song is a great song. Now, if I could just figure out what it reminds me of, I might be able to sleep again.

MUST HAVE pop rock.