The Lift
It Is What It Is
Little Red Records
The Lift’s debut album Road To Hana was an independently released masterpiece and I’m happy to report that the follow-up, It Is What It Is is just as good.
The LA-based band — comprised of two commercial directors, teachers and a TV music composer — has delivered yet more stirring, atmospheric alternative rock with a real commercial edge on It Is What It Is, which justifies the tag a Gibson Guitars poll gave The Lift as one of the top 3 unsigned bands in the city.
Influences as diverse as Radiohead, early U2 and Coldplay are immediately apparent on tracks such as the rocking “For The Broken Hearted,” the brilliant “Warm” and the ferocious opener “No Secret.” The high standards continue on the epic “Mask,” the melodic title track and the soaring “Wired” – the best song of the album and a perfect encapsulation of The Lift’s trademark sound.
Added to The Lift’s excellent songwriting are their flawless production abilities and a canny knack of licensing their music to various TV shows. It’s a model that plenty of other unsigned bands should follow, but there won’t be many that pull it off as successfully as The Lift.
The Lift: http://www.theliftstation.com
