7 . Praise - Erin Jacobsen — This is a very pretty song that reminds me of something one would hear in church . It is simply beautiful . The angelic into leads into a very basic rock progression that is played ever so mellowly . Then the lead guitar comes in with one of the slowest , prettiest , calmest solos I have ever heard . After this the symphonic strings are back . This strikes me as the kind of music one would hear during a pleasant near-death experience as the music is serene and the vocals are nothing short of angelic .
8 . Earthtones - Max Highstein — This is a very interesting song . I really like the vocals and the keys . The stringed instruments are memorizing . I like what the percussion is doing . This really strikes me as a Jazz piece . The horn grabs my attention and just when I think I have the groove down , they change it up a bit . I like the way the solo switches from instrument to instrument . It is clear that Max and the rest of the band are top notch players . I really am very impressed . Well done Max !
9 . Northern Lights – Triskelion — Once again this is a tack that focuses on well-sung haunting vocals and majestic strings . That sounds to me like a violin and the violin is one of my favorite instruments . I mean listen to that guy , he is blistering ! The percussion is doing some interesting things , but for my money that violin steals the track - granted it takes the entire group to do what they do , but listen to this song and tell me he isn ’ t just wicked on that thing . One of the first bands I was in when I was in high school had a member who learned how to massively jam on electric guitar in a matter of months . When I asked him about it , he said he had been second chair violin in the Detroit Children ’ s Orchestra for several years and that frankly Jimmy Page had nothing on any of those old classical composers . So , if you have never taken the time to listen to really well played classical stringed instruments this is a very good song to spend some time with .