It must be close to November as the leaves are starting to fall, and the mess is, well, being made like nobody’s business. But Ace Enders, a guitarist and the lead-singer for The Early November, decided to clean up even the smallest detail, and give-it-a-go all over again with his first solo release with I Can Make a Mess Like Nobody’s Business.

Enders, 22, had been through one full, and two EP albums prior to this new adventure in music. As he found that he, “Wanted to go back to the time when music was the only thing that mattered, not all the other messy things that come with it.” As posted on a bio of the band.

The Mess seems very polished compared to what one may think. The Early November seemed more punk/alternative-oriented with a good mix of everything, including a bit of acoustics on songs like “Ever So Sweet.” I Can Make a Mess is following that acoustic idea with more light being shined on Enders’ great voice, and with that, his knack to write wonderful music and lyrics on the self-titled debut album for the group.

Although at this current time several songs are still untitled, names for them aren't even necessary with the greatness presented through moving music throughout all 15 tracks of the album. For what is a debut for the group, it is very crisp, clean, and flows extremely well. This could also be because through the first 11 tracks, between songs there is background noise from soap operas, game shows, and many other things seen on television. Track 11 is, well, aptly named, "End of the Background Noise." To which the background noise ends, and, in all actuallity, the music becomes deeper, and more heartfelt. Each song seems to lead towards the next as the sound progressively grows. Some of my more perfered songs are #3: "So I Finally Decided to Give Myself a Reason," #5: "The Best Happiness Money Can Buy," #10: "The Kindler Burns," #11: "End of the Background Noise," #14: "I Know the Sum and Substance of my Evil," and #15: "Salvy."

They may be considered a mess, but in a time where the leaves are falling like nobody's business, it's a must-buy for The Early November fans, fans of acoustics, deep songs, and fans of music in general. There's no catchy song that'll make The Mess vault their way into the mainstream, but rather, each song has its own unique part that adds so much more to the album than one catchy tune. In addition, when you've got a song (#7) with the title of: "But when the little fellow came close and put both arms around his mother, and kissed her in an appealing boyish fashion, she was moved to tenderness," It's worth listening for that alone ;)



Label: Drive-Thru Records
Release: October 26th, 2004

Track Listing: (Note: Some songs have yet to be titled as of 10/16/2004)

01. Track 1
02. Whispering Actually
03. So I Finally Decided to Give Myself a Reason
04. Timshel
05. The Best Happiness Money Can Buy
06. An Oak Tree Stands Beside a Linden
07. But When the little fellow came close and put both arms around his mother, and kissed her in an appealing boyish fashion, she was moved to tenderness
08. Track 8
09. Track 9
10. The Kindler Burns
11. End of the Background Noise
12. Track 12
13. Track 13
14. I Know the Sum and Substance of my Evil
15. Salvy

Rating:



Review by: Matt