Four of the five members of familial (four siblings and one cousin) dream rockers
Eisley became parents during the downtime between 2011's
The Valley and 2013's
Currents, resulting in an ambitious Kickstarter campaign to help fund their next tour, a jaunt that would include the whole brood. With so much attention spent trying to juggle family and a career in music, one would expect the group's fourth long player to be a bit unfocused, but the remarkably lush, complex, and rewarding (multiple spins are required)
Currents feels more like a mission statement than an aberration, offering up 12 immaculately rendered slabs of intimate, yet emotionally grounded and often soaring indie pop gems that evoke the names of artists like
Cocteau Twins,
the Innocence Mission, and
Beach House. Comforting, uplifting, yet world-weary enough to occupy the grey area between secular and non-secular rock,
Currents works on multiple levels, due in large part to it being the first
Eisley album to arrive via the hands, hearts, and minds of its creators. By relegating production duties internally, the band has allowed itself to stretch its collective legs, resulting in a collection of songs that don’t just rely on the otherworldly voices of Stacy, Sherri, and Chauntelle DuPree, though they certainly are effective on standout cuts like "Wicked Child," the richly detailed title track, and the gorgeous ballad "Find Me Here." Even at their most elementary and open-hearted ("Love you are my shelter and love you are my home"),
Eisley rarely come off as cloying, and while
Currents may require a little more patience from the listener than on previous outings, it's well worth the investment. ~ James Christopher Monger