Cave In "Tides of Tomorrow"

Talk about stepping up to the plate and kicking ass with your practice hit! Cave In are (hopefully) going to be huge. They've got the mighty RCA behind them. You know, RCA, the folks who brought you Elvis Presley. Sure, you could debate whether or not Cave In are going to have a lasting success, or whether they'll have a one-hit thing, but why bother? Their fate is not ours to decide, and while both sides do have their valid points, I'll fess up and say--well, if you've got the talent and the ability, then why not? The band...the b.a.n.d....the BAND made this decision to take a step up to the big-time, so calling them sell-outs is just, well, stupid, because they're doing what THEY want to do. By the simple fact that they are taking SO LONG working on their debut record (it'll have been, what, nearly two years when it's finally released?) proves that they're being all seriouslike about their new record. Good. I'm glad to see that a band's finally allowed the TIME to hone their skills and make an awesome record.

That said, I couldn't really tell you if the songs on this new EP are new, or if they're odds-and-sods for the label to release, and to put their name "out there" in the interim, so as not to be forgotten (or to honor contractual agreements). Either way, it doesn't really matter. Obviously, these aren't the big-budget recordings that appeared on their last CD-single for the label (a sneak peak from their new record), because that's the big meal that'll be ours in a few months. Tides of Tomorrow doesn't sound quite as awesome as those recordings, but these songs are just as good, and they seem to document something: that the band's new sound is no mere smoke and mirrors studio trick. Sure, they're not metal anymore, they're not hardcore--they're good now. Personally, I think these songs sound like a more interesting Incubus fronted by James' Tim Booth, but that's just me; there's a radio-friendly edge to these songs, Brodsky's growing as an artist and he's not standing still. If these songs are odds and sods from before their recent sessions, then it's a good bet that their new album will be utter genius.

Then there's that title: Tides of Tomorrow. I think these kids know that they're poised for greatness, and I hope they get it. These songs, especially "The Calypso" and "Everest" both sound like they'd not be out of place on late-night modern rock radio and hip coffee shops around the nation. To Cave In: don't listen to critics who dismiss you as "sell out." Keep up the good work. Radio needs some new, talented blood. You're staying true to yourself by doing your own thing. Don't let the criticism get to you. You can't satisfy all of the people all of the time, so just make yourself happy. I feel like you're gonna be big--and you deserve it.

--Joseph Kyle