Athenaeum

Anyone is wants to review their sophomore album is looking in the wrong place. This is their 1995 indie label debut that is long out of print. The cover is green with orange type. It contains many of Radiance's tracks in their early infancy, back when they were only 3 members strong. A definite must have if you can find it. A highlight being an early version of "Away" with different fretwork in the beginning.

Having followed the guys since I was in high school in North Carolina, I'm always excited about a new Athenaeum album.This one's good songs are very good. "Frozen in Time," "Plurabelle," and "Comfort" are excellent, catchy radio songs and it amazes me that it hasn't seen more airplay.Some of the other songs lack, though, and that's what keeps it from being a 5.Hopefully they get another shot at a major label release. I really think they're right there and ready to make "the leap."

I used to hear these guys live years ago and I was really surprised they didn't make it big. In addition to very talented musicians, the guys are very nice people!

I've been waiting 3 years for this album and it was well worth the wait. These guys are simply amazing musicians and their written material seems to go above and beyond the call of duty for alternative rock music. While most genres seem to be getting homogenized these guys seem to have that little bit of a different sound without trying to be something off the wall. I've parused the entire album about 3 or 4 times since I bought it yesterday and I think it rocks a little more than Radiance. Radiance was a good album in it's own right but I found myself skipping around with some of the really strong tracks like "flat tire" "unnoticed" "what I didn't know" and "on my mind" taking up slack for some rather slow and depressing tracks, I found this album to be strong as a unit. You can pretty much listen to the whole thing through. Mark Kano's voice really gives the band their signature sound. Melodic guitar riffs like the one on "Frozen in Time" really add to the mix; the hooks are endless. I can see some people disagreeing and maybe disliking Mark's voice so I guess it's an acquired taste. The first 7 or so tracks are just great and really compliment each other right out of the box. While I usually find the last track on most albums to be rather slow snooty and reflective, I really like the last song on this one. I think "Frozen in Time" "All my Life" and "Sweeter Love" really take the award for the best tracks here. They're not just hooky and infectious songs but they're innovative and they integrate a lot of stuff you don't normally hear on a hot AC album like this. I really enjoy the jazz rock integration in "All my Life" the harmonies are just astonishing (I'm also a bit of a sucker for jazz-funk-rock too since thats the kind of music I write). Perhaps one of the best songs I've ever heard happens to be "Sweeter Love" It's just so different from anything I've really heard lately. It almost echoes a little of Billy Joel's "The Stranger". All the layers of instruments are just integrated with pure genius and it even has a bit of that Led Zeppellin black magic vibe to it. I think Mark's voice compliments the song perfectly and in the end it's one of those songs that I think is just so musically genius that it might unfortunately go over everybody's heads. 2001 has been a pretty decent year for albums from already established talent and I think this one fits into the top of the heap. Not many people know of Athenaeum which is a shame but I think they're probably one of rock music's best kept secrets. Maybe this album will vault them into household status. I think the potential is there. It's really a good infectious innovative and rocking album.

With a thick and burly voice, like a toned down Brad Roberts of Crash Test Dummies, Mark Kano is able to tie all the loose strings other bands in alternative music have been ignoring. Not since Toad The Wet Sprocket have I heard a band with the melodic hooks and singable lyrics these guys posses. I would be doing them a somewhat disservice to say they are reminiscent of Vertical Horizon because these guys, and this album, are much better.This self-titled release represents a three year wait from the release of their first album Radiance, a true tour de force with songs that magically missed radio. (Don't hesitate to pick up that album as well, it's another one you will not be disapointed with.) I would find it even harder to believe that could happen again. Songs like "Comfort" and "Damage" sound like possible singles with their up front alterno-rock sound and catchy as hell melody. And then for those of you looking for the more introspective mellow songs you might want to try "Frozen In Time". A song who's message will leave you wondering "Why havn't I heard these guys before?" It makes me wonder too.The other tracks on the album are just as strong. "Waiting For You" & "Suddenly" also posses every possibility of being played on the radio with the likes of Verve Pipe and Better Than Ezra.Really, this album has all the potential in the world (much like the band) and delivers some fantastic songs. In an age where sophomore albums can sound bland or uninteresting these guys are pushing ahead at warp speed. Buy the album now so that when your friends are trying to be cool and say "Hey have you heard of Athena....something?" You can respond "I've been listening to them for the last few months, where have you been?"Just in case you are wondering how to pronounce their name "ATH-A-NEE-UM"! And don't worry, it's one name you won't be able to forget after listening.