Lifehouse, I'll admit, is one of my favorite bands. And I would argue that overall, their Stanley Climbfall album is better done than No Name Face. Lyrically, I will admit that No Name Face is superior and more heartfelt, but the basslines and chord progressions in Stanley Climbfall show a more mature band that has a more consistent sound. Consistency might not appeal to some, however, who want more varitey in their music. One of my few qualms with Lifehouse as a band is that most of the songs sound pretty similar... mid-tempo rock songs with elements of grunge. Of course, that's true for most bands in the past 15 years, so it is not something that I can hold against Lifehouse any more than I would against Shinedown or Breaking Benjamin, for example.

The Stanley Climbfall album itself appeals to me greatly. Not every song is perfect, but they are all enjoyable, and this is not an album that makes me want to skip around to find my favorite tracks. Musically, I'd compare it to Fuel's Sunburn album, but a softer, more refined version of it. That "softer" and "more refined" is not just about the sound of the two bands, but also the lyrical themes. Fuel's lyrics on their Sunburn album were a bit more angstful and deeper than the songs on Stanley Climbfall. Both albums were excellent, however. They had a mix of rock with some softer "new age" elements and guitar effects that make for a very pleasant listening experience.

The album doesn't always demand your attention. I don't view this as a negative thing. It's great music for working on projects or hanging out with friends, but at the same time, it is complex enough that you can concentrate it on specific elements of the songs as well.

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

Track ratings:

1. Spin - 9/10

Spin is a solid song, through and through. The best part is the "outro" for the last minute that sadly never appeared on the radio, but only on the album. It's a really cool jam that feels like a mix of grunge and classic rock from the 70s. The rest of the song is decent as well, but the last minute really is the best.

2. Wash - 9.5/10

A really great song with a lot of nice guitar effects. I liked that there was more than a minute of instrumentals before any lyrics here. I really enjoyed the guitar effects here, which made this one of my favorite songs on the album. The bassline was solid, creative while also remaining in the background appropriately.

3. Sky Is Falling - 6.5/10

This is a weak song for me. The chord progression is pleasant to listen to, but the lyrics are a bit depressing for me, and it just doesn't have quite the same personal connection as I have with most of the other songs on the album. The song was written just after 9/11, and I still can't quite enjoy it as much as I can with the others on the element. It also was a little toned down compared to some of the harder rock songs on the album.

4. Anchor - 10/10

Clear winner here for me. The song is amazing and just represents everything that is right about this album. The guitar effects are really interesting here, at least for me. They have this sort of "exploding" sound effect that really makes the song for me. This is one that I would realy recommend listening to with headphones or good speakers to get that experience.

5. Am I Ever Gonna Find Out - 8.5/10

A good song with a great bassline, but it really just jumps right into the lyrics. No intro, nothing fancy. As a result, it's a just 2:38 long, a little more than half of some of their longer songs. I was more into this song when I was younger, and I still really like the bassline, but it feels a bit incomplete, like it was half of a song missing the second (or first) piece.

6. Stanley Climbfall - 8/10

The title song is a solid piece, but it takes a while to get going. The lyrics are one of the stronger points here, but I felt like it really started off a bit weak/soft and didn't quite get to where it could have.

7. Out Of Breath - 7.5/10

Not a bad song at all, but I felt like it was a little less creative than most of the earlier songs on the track, and the lyrics seemed to take a backseat to the music, even though the music wasn't particularly amazing. Enjoyable tune, but it doesn't really stand out on this album with so many excellent songs.

8. Just Another Name - 9.5/10

I think this song stands out as being one of the more unique songs on the album. Or at least, it stands out from the other songs in a positive way. The song sounds more Beatles-influenced than grunge/70's rock influenced. I also really enjoyed how the bassline stayed out completely for a while and then came in quite strongly. The bass is more varied here than on most of the other songs. However, the real strong point for me were the lyrics, which really spoke to me. More as a 17-year old in 2002, but I still relate to them nearly as much now.

9. Take Me Away - 7/10

Some mixed feelings about this one. The song has a nice sound to it, with solid guitar riffs and a decent intro, but the chord progression is very standard, more so than any other song on the album. If you sped up the song and put in more power chords, it'd pretty much have the chord progression of a generic pop-punk band's latest song. It'd also make Rob Paravonian (of the Pachelbel Rant) angry. There are a couple of nice changes in chords, but they really don't last too long to make an impact on the song overall. Not bad, but not in the same league as most other songs on the album.

10. My Precious - 10/10

This is one of the softer songs on the album, but it's probably the most amazing as well. I tend to prefer the harder "rock" songs on Stanley Climbfall, but this song is just so beautiful and the guitar effects work so well that it's really amazing as well. Another song that works better with headphones to get the full experience. This song might not appeal to someone who is opposed to "soft rock" or just softer music in general, but I'd really recommend it all the same. I get the sense that most of the guitar effects were pretty simple to produce and play, but it works very well with the lyrics and makes this one of the strongest songs on the album.

11. Empty Space - 9 /10

Another excellent song. The bassline is really good. The song is soft and pleasant, and all the elements work well together to great a good listening experience. One complaint is that the song gets a bit too "noisy" near the end, with the lyrics, bass, and guitar demanding too much attention and detracting a little from the overall experience. But this is still a great example of one of the "softer" songs on the album.

12. The Beginning - 8/10

Enjoyable and pleasant, but the lyrics were a bit more directly religious than some of them, and the song didn't really stand out as being anything more than a pleasant song to listen to. A bit of a letdown compared to My Precious and Empty Space, but not the weakest track, either.

Bonus Tracks:

13. How Long - 9/10

An excellent song that would have done better to be included on the regular album over some of the others, but it works well as a "bonus track" as well. It's got a good feel to it, and the lyrics and the instrumentals work very well together.

14. Sky Is Falling (Acoustic) - 5.5/10

The one weak song of the album. I would have rather had a second bonus song that wasn't just an acoustic version of the weakest song on the album. I guess it does have more of a "folk" style with the acoustic version than the alternative rock in the original Sky is Falling, but this just doesn't interest me too much. If they were going to do an acoustic number, I think Spin or Just Another Name would have been the best picks.

Best Songs: Anchor, My Precious, Wash, Just Another Name

Worst Songs: Sky Is Falling (Both Versions), Take Me Away

Get This: If you're looking for a solid album that has a consistent tone to it and nice lyrics, or if you want a grunge-sounding album with a more positive/optimistic feel to it.

Don't Get This: If you don't like groups like Fuel or Pearl Jam at all, or you are really paranoid about any spiritual messages in your music.

Back to Reviews