The Rescues Issue #38

Crazy Ever After (Red Wind)

By Jina Hassan
Published: December 1st, 2008 | 12:00am

Kyler England, Gabriel Mann, and Adrianne Gonzalez had each carved out somewhat successful careers as singer-songwriters, but it took a friend’s wedding to bring them together to form the Rescues. In the band’s debut full-length, Crazy Ever After, the performers lend their powerful vocals and pitch-perfect harmonies to the soaring opener, “Lost Along the Way,” and lay mid-tempo instrumentals over upbeat lyrics in a classic rock anthem, “Sweetspot.”

The band hails from LA’s indie rock scene, but England clings to his North Carolina accent, and his bandmates pull off stellar folk impressions on “Matter Of Time.” Although acoustic-based soft rock defines the Rescues’ melodies, the band cuts through otherwise unspectacular beats with punk-infused indie and soulful country elements. But even triple-threat vocals can’t rescue a hopelessly trite line like “My heart is a rubber band / Strung out between your hands.”

Although the newcomers lower their vocal standards with banal lyrics, it’s hard not to marvel at their chemistry. The band claims Fleetwood Mac and the Eagles as inspiration, but whatever the influences, the Rescues have carved a strong place in the indie circuit: Already they have played to sold-out audiences, and “Crazy Ever After” made an appearance during the season premiere of Grey’s Anatomy.

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