When we talk about bands that produce two records with two completely different sounds, The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi from The Receiving End of Sirens fits that perfectly. TREOSs first album, Between the Heart and the Synapse, was a rock-driven artistic masterpiece while The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi is mostly artwork with a hit of their rock and roll roots laden into the backdrop of the album. On the whole, the two albums sound completely different and it would be difficult to conceive that they were even produced by the same band.

As I stated above, the sound the two albums are drastically different. Between the Heart and the Synapse was a rock-driven album with well-placed artistic overtones and nuances. The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi is nearly the complete opposite- an artsy album with rock undertones. Don’t get me wrong, there’s not wrong with a musical 180, its perfectly natural in the course of events of a musician. And in the case of The Receiving End of Sirens, it could be the result of the band continuing their story telling- since the two albums are symbiotic of each other. The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi needs Between the Heart and the Synapse to tell its story- while Between the Heart and the Synapse needs The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi to continue its story. Without each other their stories have no meaning, and without each other they don’t exist. And since existence is the underlying tone of both albums, it is, in this writer’s opinion, is all part of the genius that is The Receiving End of Sirens.

While the sound of the albums is different, the lyrics and meaning are still intertwined. Between the Heart and the Synapse spoke of coming into existence and trying to find one’s self, The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi takes that to the next level and speaks about being in existence and watching the world from the eyes of an outsider, or as someone who always ignored or overlooked. On those same lines, the album questions that existence and in essence, makes the listener watch as that existence seems to fade away. True to nature, the album is lyrically intelligent- still commanding the English language and using poetic and literary devices with the utmost perfection. One addition in The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi is the imagery. TREOS uses imagery in the album like a great sci-fi or fantasy novel, the lyrics will take you and place you into the point of view the speaker, whoever it may be. Tolkien would be proud.

The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi is another great expression from The Receiving End of Sirens. It’s musical, lyrical, artistic and intelligent. Most bands have one or two of those qualities, but The Receiving End of Sirens embodies all four. A quality that is, unfortunately, rare in today’s music.

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