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Customer Reviews of Antenna

a little less original than their previous work
With Antenna, Cave In finds a commercially competitive album. However, with commercialism comes a lack of creativity. Cave In has become an underground icon along with other's such as Hum and Swervedriver to create a small genre of music called space rock. With their previous releases, Cave In took the liberty to be very experimental. It paid off by gaining them a huge new fanbase. With Antenna, Cave In has obviously been guided by major label production ethics. This album has a few very radio friendly singles. These songs also happen to be the least original made by Cave In so far. Fans of their space rock sound may be a bit disappointed as Seafrost is the only song on the album that compares to the previous space ballads. However, this album is far, far better than any of that awful washed up modern rock that all sounds the same being played on the radio these days(cough cough..creed...cough cough). For that reason, this album is worth buying. Although it sounds more like Stone Temple Pilots or Foo Fighters than the Cave In I'm used to, it is an incredibly good album that will be stuck in your head and cd player for years to come. Yes, Cave In has abandoned their metal roots. No, they did not sell out. It was a waste for such a talented vocalist to sing stuff that sounded identical to every other metalcore band. Brodsky's vocals were typical to say the least. With Antenna, we see Brodsky becoming the best vocalist alive today. Hopefully he gains rock icon status someday. Buy this album if you don't have it....and while you're at it, pick up Brodsky's solo albums and his Side Project, New Idea Society to experience something different. Come on, you know you're tired of mainstream radio. Do yourself a favor and buy Brodsky's cds.

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It's hard to believe they're only 23...
One can wonder just how far a band can go with their music. And most of those times, the answer is not far, but far enough to make a few decent records. Some musicians don't even make it to that level. Cave-In is very different than most, if not all musicians today (with some exceptions). They are young, and have already accomplished the art making great music. In their metal days, there was the classic "Until Your Heart Stops" and when they broke off the metal scene into the space rock category they created the classic "Jupiter". Many doubted they could ever make such an impact in that particular genre of rock again, or just make another album nearly as good. But with the release of "Antenna" they have done just that. Even though "Antenna" and "Jupiter" differ, they still have the same energy they had then. And their musicianship is even tighter and more mature.

Antenna plain rocks. It sounds as though it was crafted with instruments made from natural elements. The guitars are so crisp and rich with riffs that produce vivid imagery of such things as rain, waves crashing and waterfalls pouring down a mountain side. It's really nice to hear, whether soothing (like in "Beautiful Son") or just plain rock ("Inspire"). The drums sounds like soil. Pounding and deep, driving. When you hear them, it gets into your soul and moves you. The bass sounds like the wind blowing by, it's subtle but apparent, and keeps the sounds and harmonies going. And then, then there is Stephen Brodsky. The man is talented. And that, is an understatement. His vocals paint the pictures the instruments create. His lyrics are intelligent and rich with imagery, just like the music. And he can sing so well, I'd argue that even without instruments pushing the songs, his vocals alone could drive the band.

When it all comes down to it, you have to ask? Is it really worth a 5-star rating? And without even pausing, I can say "yes". It's worth the money. It's worth more than money.

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Decent...but something's missing.
Boston's Cave In has a pretty unique history. After all, how many bands do you know of that have gone from being a metal/noisecore outfit that sounds like a hybrid of Converge and Rush, to (with the release of second LP Jupiter) a spacey indie-alt band remiscient of Radiohead or Failure? You've got to admire that willingness to experiment. Which is one of the reasons why Antenna, the third full-length Cave In release, is a dissapointment. It's clear that the band is taking fewer risks on this album, and that it was made for the radio.

Now, I'm not going to throw around the word "sellout" in this review. After all, quite a few bands have entered the mainstream on major labels and have still maintained their trademark sound (Modest Mouse, with their most recent album, is a clear example). However, Antenna is merely a homogenization of Jupiter's sound. Gone are the epic song lengths and a good deal of the spacey textures; the music and lyrics regularly fall into pop-emo cliches (see Joy Opposites and Beautiful Son, respectively, for the worst examples of this). On top of that, the production is the usual hideously overcompressed wall of sound that seems to be par for the course on a major label. At least the bass stands out, which is a nice touch.

The album as a whole feels too song-oriented. The only song worthy of the "epic" tag on Antenna is the 9-minute Seafrost; it sounds a little like a leftover from Jupiter, and as such is easily the best and most atmospheric track here. Lost In The Air and the closer Woodwork (featuring an awesome guitar solo) are pretty great as well. Most of the rest range from slightly above average (Stained Silver, Rubber And Glue, Breath Of Water) to mediocre (Anchor, Inspire, Penny Racer) mainstream rock that sounds a bit like an overproduced Foo Fighters. Even Stephen Brodsky's excellent vocals can't make the music distinctive, which is a shame.

Overall, there's nothing catastrophically wrong with Antenna. It's very well-played, catchy, and competent straightforward rock, and I'd rather listen to this than most mainstream swill. However, it lacks the imagination and experimentation of previous Cave In releases. Check out Jupiter and Tides Of Tomorrow EP as an introduction to Cave-In before buying Antenna.