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Between the Trees
The Story and The Song
(Universal Motown)
First Appeared in The Music Box, September 2008, Volume 15, #9
Written by David Gregory Schlegel
Fri September 26, 2008, 06:30 AM CDT
On She Is, Ryan Kirkland, lead singer of Between the Trees, wails, "My
mom is my super hero!" In doing so, he essentially leaves the listener to wonder
if he is writing a song or a Mother’s Day greeting card. Tracks such as this
illustrate the crucial flaw and central paradox of the outfit’s debut The
Story and The Song: Although the music is good, the group’s lyrics are
aggravating.
After emerging from the music scene in Orlando, Florida in 2005, Between the
Trees received quite a bit of attention from record companies when it sold
roughly 6,000 copies of The Story and The Song during its three-month
stint with Bonded Records. In an attempt to capitalize on its surge, Universal
opted to give the album a wider birth earlier this year.
Many of Between the Trees’ lyrics were inspired by a close friend of several
members of the band who was caught within a downward spiral of drug addiction
and self-mutilation. On The Way She Feels, images, such as blood flowing
from a girl’s wrist, paint a gruesome portrait of a lost soul in desperate need
of help. It may be the most disturbing track on The Story and The Song,
but it is nearly impossible to avoid becoming immersed in the tale of a troubled
teen. The theme of a woman’s road to redemption is reflected in several tracks,
and it provides a framework for the tone of the album. If songs like this were
the only ones on the collection, then the result might have been a beautifully
tragic endeavor. Unfortunately, other weaker cuts almost undermine the good work
that Between the Trees put into The Way She Feels.
After all, it’s hard to go from a song about a suicidal girl to one about
optimistic love. Yet, this juxtaposition is precisely what Between the Trees
tries to accomplish when it states "Me and you together/This is getting better"
in White Lines and Red Lights. Although a shift such as this might be
appropriate for a sequel to Hairspray, it doesn’t exactly suit the
pervading mood of The Song and The Story. In fact, lyrics consistently
are a huge problem for Between the Trees. Either they don’t fit, or they simply
are understatements of whatever the members of the band are feeling. Tracks such
as White Lines and Red Lights, The Forward, and She Is
prove to be great examples of this flaw. Each of these demonstrates how a good
tune can go flat when the wrong words are put into service.
Overall, The Story and The Song is a decent album, even if several of
the tracks make the listener long for the days of grunge rock when lyrics
weren’t entirely comprehensible. The one question that remains unanswered,
though, is why Between the Trees isn’t upfront about being a Christian Rock
band, such as Creed or Relient K. On its official website almost every member of
Between the Trees quotes from the Bible or makes some other reference to God.
Although the outfit also makes a similar batch of religious implications in its
music and on its album cover, it is never directly stated that Between the Trees
is a Christian rock group. Walking this fine line could be a dangerous plan, and
in the future, rethinking its route could be to the outfit’s advantage. 
Of Further Interest...
Chris Cornell - Carry On
Bob Dylan - Gotta Serve Somebody: The Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan
Switchfoot - Oh! Gravity
The Story and The Song is available from Amazon.
To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
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For UK orders, please
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2008 The Music Box
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