Band Name: Homemade Knives
Album Name:No One Doubts the Darkness
Best Element: The beautiful imagery filled lyrics
Genre: Acoustic
Website: http://www.myspace.com/homemadeknivesrva
Label Name: Triple Stamp Records
Band E-mail: info@triplestamp.com
I have to admit that when I saw the cover art for the Homemade Knives’ album I couldn’t help but laugh- I hardly expected to see two deer eating their kin. However darkly humorous their cover may be, the album speaks for itself. Homemade Knives’ debut album, No One Doubts the Darkness , is an absolute masterpiece. The band utilizes everything from acoustic guitars to xylophone to cello to mandolin to organ. Lucky for us, this combination is neither offensive to the ear nor overbearing on the listener. In fact, Homemade Knives excels in creating melodies within melodies within melodies (see the mandolin and banjo lines in “Saltwater Shoes”) and using their lyrics to give their almost forlorn sounding melodies a central purpose.
No One Doubts the Darkness opens with a small instrumental intro featuring mainly piano and xylophone. While I did enjoy this opening the first few times, I couldn’t help but notice that after repeated listens through the album it almost sounds out of place. This feeling is quickly diminished by the star of the album. Had “The Ocean Drinks the Sun” been released as a single, this album would be even more highly anticipated. Wil Loyal’s voice is haunting, perfect for an acoustic album. “Marianna” is a nice follow-up track, as it slows everything down and really allows for the cello to be heard and appreciated. While the lyrics may be a tad confusing, they are filled to the brim with imagery that only stands to make their tracks blossom a little more then they already have. Homemade Knives also seem to take a tip from artists like Damien Rice by bringing in the female voices of Adrienne Brown and Anousheh Khalili (who is also attached to Triple Stamp Records as an artist) to tracks like “Anyone at All,” “My Hummingbird Heart,” “Irons in the Fire,” and “All is Well.” The performance given on this album is inspiring.
This is bound to be one of the best acoustic albums of the year. It is a masterpiece equivalent to an Iron & Wine album. Homemade Knives is one band that should be watched because they are sure to create more works that build upon the firm foundation they have already constructed. This album is worth every second given to it and should not be overlooked at any cost.
-Mark Pranger
MarkySparky2007@yahoo.com