Iration – Fresh Grounds EP
1.) Can’t Wait
2.) Work It Out
3.) All This Time
4.) No Letter
5.) Summer Nights
The Pier Album Rating:
Release Date: Feb 1st, 2011
Record Label: Law/3 Prong Records
Artist Background:
It took one EP and one full length album for the Hawaii-natives Iration to hit the top of the reggae charts. With the debut of their second EP Sample This in October 2008, Iration had hit as high as the #3 top-selling reggae album on iTunes. It didn’t take long to gain international attention with hits such as Falling and Wait & See. Also in 2008, they embarked on their first nationwide tour supporting fellow Hawaiians, Pepper. Iration’s second full-length album Time Bomb, released in March of 2010, currently holds the fifteenth top-selling album on iTunes. Now headlining tours across the United States, fans have anxiously waited for their next project: Fresh Grounds EP, which was released on February 1, 2011.
Album Review:
In the midst of the dreaded cold season, Iration’s five-song EP is reminiscent of the contrary. It’s warm sounds come together to create a mood like summer. Fresh Grounds EP is yet another great reggae release dropped by the Hawaiian natives. It was only two and a half years ago that Iration embarked on their first nationwide tour as a supporting act. Today, you can catch Iration performing nationwide tours as the headliners. The best part? They have continued to remain true to their fans by producing those same mellow vibes after gaining plenty of international recognition.
Fresh Grounds EP proves Iration’s talent to me, as if they hadn’t already with the release of Time Bomb in 2010. My favorite part of this release is the vocal variety. Kai Rediske and Micah Pueschel are two incredibly gifted vocalists. In Fresh Grounds they are the perfect complements to each other. There is not a single monotone moment for the duo. Kai shows off his vocal range the best in Work it Out, singing I need to let you know, Love can bloom in snow – only one of the many seasonal themes referenced throughout the EP. Doubling as the lead guitarist, Micah also sings about lost love in the acoustic track No Letter. He states I knew that no one did you better, wondering why it all had to end.
Instrumentally, Fresh Grounds is nothing less than stellar. Adam Taylor provides those deep bass lines that all reggae fans adore. If you listen to this on a decent system, you will realize his importance in leading some of the songs along and filling in the empty spots left by the electric guitar. In All This Time, Adam leads on the verses while the electric guitar plays some arpeggios and Cayson Peterson’s keys provide that lively offbeat rhythm. Finally, the synthesizer in the background ties it all together.
This EP by Iration is a must-have. Fresh Grounds, after its first week of being released, already climbed to #4 album on ITunes’s reggae charts! They kill it with this release, and it is only a handful of dollars. It’s a must a have!
Written & Reviewed by: Matt Emodi
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