REVIEW: The Rocket Summer’s Of Men and Angels

by Cayla Bagby

The words “one man band” don’t always invoke feeling of joy. Some such bands have had success lately, like Owl City and Nevershoutnever, but there’s still a feeling that they must be acoustic, filled with loops, that there must really be more than one member of the band, or many guest musicians. The Rocket Summer is a one-man band that breaks those premonitions.

The one man behind The Rocket Summer is Bryce Avary. When recording, Avary really is the only member of the band (when playing live shows he has a full band). He writes all of his own songs, and he plays all the instruments on his albums. That may give some people fears about how good the band can be if it’s only him, but Avary is a talented musician and his lyrics are meaningful. All of that is shown in his latest album, Of Men and Angels, which was released on Feb. 23.

The main theme of Of Men and Angels is life – the struggles we go through, and how we should never give up and lose hope. Avary doesn’t talk of these things in generic terms. Instead he relates them to his own life. We feel that what he’s saying is true because of the honesty with which he sings everything, and the transparency with which he talks of his life. He makes sure we know that he’s not perfect, and that he has fears, struggles, and obstacles to overcome, just like everyone else.

In “Tara, I’m Terrible,” a song to his wife, he even talks about the past and alludes to the some of the things he’s been through: “Reminisce, thinking about the days we don’t miss/Hit the bottom when I fell, but oh well/ and I could stay here stuck thinking about the days of bad luck, or get lost in your voice/ It’s an easy choice.”

That transparency makes Avary easy to trust, and when he sings, “I wouldn’t know just how sweet this tastes now, no/ if at first I did not go through bitter times, through bitter places/ I’ll stay alert for new battles, but for now we’re here,” (“Hills and Valleys”) we believe him.

Avary’s faith is more prevalent in this album than most of his others. The title track is about not wanting fame if it leads him away from God. The way Avary sings of his faith isn’t overwhelming, but it is heartfelt and real. He never tries force anything on anyone – he just shares his experiences in hope that they might help someone else.

Despite his faith, The Rocket Summer is not, and never has been considered, a “Christian band.” Genre-wise, this album is labeled as alternative on iTunes, but it has a little bit of a pop-rock feel to it. Within that pop-rock feel, the songs differ some. “Tara, I’m Terrible” is acoustic, while a few are piano-driven, and the rest are elsewhere in the field of pop-rock, but none of them sound the same. They’re clearly all from the same artist, but each song is an individual. None of the songs fall into that space of feeling like every other song in mainstream pop-rock -that is probably what gives The Rocket Summer the label of alternative.

The Rocket Summer has always had a good number of close followers, but he’s never had much mainstream attention. He’s deserved some attention for a while now because he has always put out good albums. Of Men and Angels is no different. It shows his talent as a musician, and it is from his heart. Maybe this album will finally give him his big break.