Avenue East are a band that have mastered their sound. Listening to their 2023 album I: The War on Avenue East is like stepping into a brand new car for the first time and finding that it is really well made. All of the knobs and dials are where they need to be, the interior features are polished and shining, the acceleration and brakes are running smoothly.
A blend of high-level instrument playing, top-notch audio engineering, and creative songwriting choices come together in this album in the creation of something truly worthy of praise.
A few areas worthy of note in this album are its well-thought-out structure, its diversity of playing styles, and its rhythmic and instrumental precision. In terms of structure, the album is thoughtfully planned, starting with an introduction track that welcomes us to the band’s sonic landscape. Through tender piano playing, seamless harmonies, and an anthemic ending, track 1 sets the stage without jarring us. Then, track 2, My Old Thoughts, starts with a delicate riff to ease us into what we soon learn is the band’s bread and butter prog-rock sound. This second track is a little more delicate overall compared to some of the later songs, allowing us to ease into some of the heavier stuff. The middle of the album contains a series of fast-moving, guitar-driven tracks that fit together cohesively. By the last few songs of the LP, the band unravels out of this core of gritty tracks into more experimentation. Finally, the last song, Fall of the Middle, is a partly acoustic ballad that delicately ushers us out of the experience.
Beyond its well-planned structure, the album is impressive for its diversity of playing styles. Though the gritty prog-rock sound stands out as the central sonic thesis of the album, there are notable exceptions. Track 3, Come On and Give It Up, is unlike the other songs in that it is in a major key and has more late 70s flair reminiscent of bands like Rush and The Police (and whoever that one hit wonder group that did My Sharona is). It’s impressive how the band retains their prog rock identity here but also dabbles in more of a retro style. Track 5, I’m Coming, Indigo, is also impressive for its ability to overlap with more of a modern indie style, reminding us a bit of The Strokes’ First Impressions of Earth era at times. Here, a picky mid-range bass adds a nice thickness to the sound, and a more somber melody in the chorus makes it stand out from the other anthems on the album. Track 9, A Tale of Fire and Grey, also had a bit of this third-album Strokes flair to it in the verses. Track 11, Goodnight Man, is another testament to the band’s diversity of playing styles, feeling distinctly more grunge than prog at times. The guitar tone in the main riff here is notably Stone Temple Pilots-ish, lending another angle to the sound. And then, in the chorus, the band briefly dip into screamo without overdoing it. The whole track blends these various genres together creatively in a way that impressively makes sense.
The last thing worthy of comment here is the band’s rhythmic precision and mastery of their instruments. Not a single note feels out of place. The guitar and bass playing throughout are impossibly precise and show evidence of countless hours of sweat in the practice room and studio. In addition, rather than relying on the drums to establish the entirety of the rhythmic bedrock, these instruments often provide the rhythmic foundation for the songs through syncopated strumming patterns. The drums are impressive in their own right by providing just the right amount of finesse mixed with the occasional sparkly fill. Finally, the vocals are impressive for their wide range and tonal smoothness and evenness.
Overall, Avenue East’s 12-song LP does a variety of things really well, most notably its structure, its ability to maintain a cohesive sound while dabbling in other genres, and its rhythmic and instrumental mastery. If you’re coming into this album less well-versed in prog rock than you are in other genres, you might just find yourself intrigued to take a deeper dive – if not into the genre as a whole, then at least into the catalog of Avenue East.
The Music and Planet Project 
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