For a couple years now we've been infatuated with Copeland here at
cMusicWeb.com, and that was even before they said they liked my The Elms
T-shirt at their show. Their first album, Beneath Medicine Tree, explored
the idea of healing in a beautiful, melodic rock format. An EP that released
last fall covered some of their favorite songs by popular artists in their
own, unique style that was a joy to hear. But their second album, In Motion,
is a much heavier rock sound. I can't say too much about the album because I
just picked it up a day or two ago, but check out Hollie's review below to
hear all about it.

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IN MOTION - COPELAND (2005)
by Hollie Stewart

Do you ever face the dilemma of enjoying a CD so much that you can't
describe what it is that makes your feet tap, your voice sing, and your
heart start beating in sync with the bass drum? Friends (even casual
strangers) come up to you and ask, "So, tell me about such and such. Every
other word you say is about that band." And all you can do is stare
wide-eyed, hand on your chest. You blame a lack of oxygen for your lack of
verbal communication. So you gasp, "They're amazing," while your mind is
writing a review stellar and crisp enough to land in Rolling Stone.

I face major writer's block when thinking about Copeland's newest recording,
In Motion. It's an album that demands movement and exemplifies it in every
note, word, intonation, and lyrical construction. While Beneath Medicine
Tree stands as a stoic monument to healing, In Motion screams for shifting—a
shifting toward reflection, inner hope, and poignant awareness.

The crux of the album is a movement towards love, detailing both the
butterflies and the fifty-foot drops. "No One Really Wins" begs the loved
one to stay, but still gives permission for them to leave if the door
beckons. "Choose the One Who Loves You More" is just that—a call to
remember, when all is said and done, to always choose the one who loves you
more. The character Amanda is urged to stop running crazily to find love:
"Hey Amanda, who just stole your heart away this time?" ("Pin Your Wings").
"Sleep" describes the dream of love: "Will I wake to find you waiting by my
bedside?" The blatant romance song "Kite," with its 1930s-radio flair,
says, "I'm beside myself for the touch of your lips or the grace of your
eyes that can see good in me." Aaron Marsh cries in "Don't Slow Down," "You
can take everything I have / Just don't leave my side."

I could go on for ages; every song drips with the beauties and pains of
love, thus weaving a tale of reality. The guitars, keys, drums and bass
create a soothing-yet-rocking collection. The slowness of Beneath Medicine
Tree is replaced with a heavier sound. But this heaviness is still wrought
with delicacy, much like the brittle tree on the album's artwork.

The song that breaks away from fragility is "Love is a Fast Song." It opens
with distorted guitars one would hear on any hard rock album, but these
dissolve a bit into Marsh's falsetto vocals. Soon even his voice rises to
the occasion, screaming along with the distortion: "Your love is in motion,
and it's spinning me around again / My heart is in motion for the movement
that's in you / Your love is a fast song and I'm dancing 'cause I'm loved
again / My heart is in motion for the rhythm inside you / Your love is a
slow song / It's resounding through my world again / My heart is in motion
for the song inside of you."

This is a paean of celebration. The broken heart found in Beneath Medicine
Tree has found healing. Now that heart rejoices in euphoria. I can't
escape the worshipful tone felt in this record, and that doesn't sadden me
in the least. I drown in the melodies, in the lyrics, in the general theme
itself (because it's known that God Himself is the very essence of love).

It appears that the more I write, the more I find to say about this record.
And it's all good on this end. I wouldn't call Copeland the best band to
ever hit the music scene, but they definitely turn heads. In Motion is an
album that has my complete attention. While swimming the ocean of this
album, I sing with my head up, with my eyes closed ("You Love to Sing").

I suppose that the next time those friends and random individuals ask me
about Copeland, I'll know exactly what to say: "Grab your coat and let's
go. It's time to fall in love and hold nothing back. It's time to get in
motion."

Read more about Copeland at cMusicWeb.com:
http://cMusicWeb.com/modernrock/copeland


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