Tilian - Material Me (ALBUM REVIEW)

One thing is for sure when you think about Tilian Pearson. He definitely has the pipes and talent to command a solo album. Pearson whose resume includes fronting Dance Gavin Dance, Tides Of Man, Emarosa (fronting the band on stage after their previous singer was released from the band), and a few Saosin demos (will he be the singer of Saosin officially at some point?  Who knows...?). All the while he has grown to be a fairly big up-and-coming name. So Pearson has finally stepped out into the solo limelight and released his solo album aptly titled Material Me.

One thing about the album I noticed on first listen is that Pearson again delivers the vocal goods. He proves why he's been out singing or trying out for a lot of people's favorite bands. Musically the album at times delivers and at other times the odd dance electronica of some of the songs feels...well unexpected. The thing that really ties it together is the vocals. Any odd thing that listeners might not expect is guided by the vocal range of Pearson which fans have come to expect. At times, and I'm not kidding, musically it sounds like a musical mash-up of Owl City, The Postal Service, and Young Love. That combination isn't necessarily bad, but much different than some of the stuff you've heard Pearson sing on in some of his previous outings. For the most part the album really works and it’s a fairly strong batch of songs.

"Someday" in particular is a song that sticks out to me on the album. All the elements of the album work so nicely on this track and it is one of the shiniest spots on the album. Lyrically and musically I think it's my favorite track on the album after a few listens.

I think the interesting thing about the album is some of the chances Pearson takes with the sound. It's an interesting solo record from a rising star of the rock genre who with this album has found some time to explore some of his dance driven pop side without sacrificing his indie rock credentials to the point of no return. I wouldn't be surprised to hear some of the songs on the radio. Despite what you might want or think this album would sound like when you see Pearson's name attached to the project it succeeds in a lot of ways and is a further stepping stone in Pearson's career. At the end of listening to the album I came to the conclusion that it’s a good solo album and really well produced and put together.