Framing Hanley

The Sum Of Who We Are

Kenneth Nixon: vocals, piano, guitar

Ryan Belcher: guitar, piano, backing vocals

Brandon Wootten: guitar, backing vocals

Chris Vest: drums      

            Back in 2005 Framing Hanley was born, however under the name Ember Fade. After posting some demos on Myspace the band got noticed by Brett Hestla. They were showed to Jeff Hanson and were signed to his record label. In 2008 a member changed incurred then in 2009 the band entered the studio to work on their sophomore album. The band won Best Modern Rock Band at the Top In Rock Awards in December 2009. The band is back once again with their third album The Sum Of Who We Are. Released April 29th, the album features 13 tracks that spread 46 minutes. They get the album going with the lead single “Criminal.” The track takes no time in throwing vocals at you. The smooth, yet slightly creepy sounding vocals, grab your attention. The music that accompanies them is simple and builds up until the main course of the tune. Each section of the track sounds superb by their selves, but then when you smash them all together it creates a perfect track. The addition of the backing vocals in places enhances the track even more. It is a great way to open up the record. “Twisted Halos” keeps much of the same pace. The drums seem to step up a bit more in this offering, but the vocals have the same tones as the opening song. They are still clean and roll along with ease. This track keeps the album going in the right direction. This track seems like a low key Papa Roach track to me. It was easy to get into. “Collide” is a so-so track. There are places that you can really get into, but the rest just feels like a “B” class tune. The vocals are clear once again and the music sweeps along, but it really doesn’t stick out to you. “Crooked Smiles” heads to the harder side of things as they throw in some screams. The tune sounds pretty solid on the album, but I feel that it will do even better during a show. “Simple Life” tosses vocals at you from all over the place. The track rallies around them and sounds great. The tune is a little slower, but those damn vocals hold you there for the entire track and will have you coming back. It really sticks with you. “Rollercoaster” adds some female vocals from Lindsey Stamey which spices the song up. The new flavor adds to the depth of the album and changes it up enough for you to continue on. You should like how the vocals bounce off each other during the song. The music provides a solid ground for them as well. ‘No Saving Me” throws some different voices at you once again. This time they twist them up with some effects. They aren’t too big, but they still do just enough to change things up some. The slow moving tune sounds strong, but I don’t see it making an impact on the radio. However, it has the vibe of a movie tune. “Unbreakable” keeps the album slow with a superb lyrical set. It moves along offering up the emotional words with amazing tunes behind them. It sweeps along capturing ears and hearts with every cord. It’s a top tier tune. “Science” takes a while to get going and I felt like I never really did get the track. It finally gets moving pretty well, but it doesn’t last very long. It’s a strange tune that offers up some nice guitar work and a nice vibe. “Streetlights and Silhouettes” is much like the last song. It took away for it to get going, but in this case the more you listen to it the more you start to like it. It’s definitely an inquired taste. It’s a slower tune with passionate vocals and well written lyrics. The music sweeps along with ease as it lulls you into a peaceful state. “Crash and Burn” turns up the volume some with some harder tunes. The guitars rip through cords while the drums hit as hard as they have thus far. The track cruises along with ease and is extremely fun. I can see a crowd going nuts for this number while you can jam out to this track in your car as well. It’s not at the top, but it’s on the lower sector of the top tier. “Forever Till The End” is a decent number as well. It again offers up some clean vocals, including some backing vocals to push the track along. The music is upbeat and easy to get in to. I feel that this is another track that is sniffing top tier status. “Castaway” wraps up the record with a slower song. The track sounds really good and will have your full attention. This one should be played over and over again. The tempo is great as are the vocals. I really enjoyed the music in this one and even though the track is a slower one, they inserted a faster section of just instruments which works out well. Overall this record is fairly solid. There are a few tracks that are poised to kick some ass and take some names later. I really love the vocals on the album. They are clear and easy to follow. I like the mixture of the backing vocals into the mix. They really bring out another element into the fold and enhance the songs in just the right way. The guys also don’t over do the backing vocals, they use them just enough and in the right stops. The music is solid as well. They change the rhythm up several times. The flow of the album seems to work with the different paces. This is something I you can put in from time to time and enjoy.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Tracks to Watch:

Criminal, Twisted Halos, Unbreakable, Castaway

Track List:

1. Criminal
2. Twisted Halos1
3. Collide
4. Crooked Smiles
5. Simple Life
6. Rollercoaster
7. No Saving Me
8. Unbreakable
9. Science
10. Streetlights and Silhouettes
11. Crash and Burn
12. Forever Till The End
13. Castaway

Website (s):  www.framinghanley.com