With Lindsay Lohan getting all “tired of rumors starting” and Hilary Duff being romantically linked to Good Charlotte’s Joel Madden, it seems as though the innocence of youth is no longer sacred-at least, not to these tween pop starlets. So it’s refreshing to discover on Eisley’s debut album, “Room Noises,” that the Texas-based quintet is in no hurry to grow up.
Eisley came into being in an unassuming, small-town home where four home-schooled children, with few friends and no cable TV, had to amuse themselves somehow. Sisters Chauntelle and Sherri DuPree, at the ages of 15 and 13, respectively, had holed themselves up in their room to practice guitar and sing harmonies when their 8-year-old sister Stacy intruded. Naturally, she wanted to play with the big kids, but her sisters were skeptical.
Stacy began writing songs on her own, proving to her sisters that she was worthy of inclusion; 10-year-old brother Weston was recruited to play the drums, and the DuPree family had an act. Their parents opened a coffeehouse in a local strip mall, which is where Eisley got their start. They assimilated family friend Jonathon Wilson as bassist to expand their performance radius to include Dallas. From there they hopped to various musical festivals in the region, churned out a demo and caught the attention of Reprise Records, who presented the band with a guarantee of complete creative freedom.
The album is, overall, an ode to the simplicity of youth; there’s no talk of politics, disillusionment or drugs to be found. “Room Noises” is a window into Neverland, and an expression of the unique bond that exists between the DuPree siblings.
The voices of Chauntelle and Sherri-now 22 and 20-weave together to create ethereal, multilayered harmonies that swell gently, filling out the band’s orchestral pop sound.
Eisley is light and pleasing, and opener “Memories” is intriguing, setting the stage for further reflection upon what’s been happening in the DuPree’s little world. Of course, with producer Rob Schnapf lending a hand on this and other tracks-he’s worked with Beck and Elliot Smith-it comes as no surprise that the band’s sound is so refined considering its youth.
The five wunderkind have proven their talent with this album, however: They wrote all 12 of the songs on “Room Noises,” and even produced two of the tracks themselves.
“Telescope Eyes” is one of the standout tracks on the album. Built around a guitar-driven chorus and embellished with piano, it’s a little less airy and a lot more down to earth than many of Eisley’s other songs.
Considerably more intense than “Telescope Eyes,” “Marvelous Things” is the most impressive song on “Room Noises,” demonstrating the emotional highs that Eisley is capable of reaching.
While the album has its highlights, and although Eisley’s sound is decidedly unique, each song begins to sound the same as the one before it. The lack of variance makes the album soporific, and after a first listen, it’s unlikely that one will be eager to listen to the whole of “Room Noises” again.
Regardless, it is clear that Eisley has something special, and one can expect that they will continue to grow as musicians-that is, as long as they don’t start hanging around with the wrong crowd.
Recommended if you like: Keane, Snow Patrol, Sleeping at Last
