Action Action – An Army Of Shapes Between Wars

Back in 2004 there was a sudden change in the music trend, that trend was none other than the ’80’s new wave revival. It was the genre to be in at that moment, and bands were making it big all over the place. One such band was Victory‘s Action Action. Rising from the ashes of three recent breakups, The Reunion Show, Count The Stars and Diffuser, Action Action received quite a lot of praise for their debutDon’t Cut Your Fabric To This Year’s Fashion. But as the scene changed, the ’80’s new wave revival trend started slowing down making way for emo to step into the spotlight. Soon enough, many of the bands that were in the forefront of the new revival started falling behind; and only a few stayed alive battling on through adversity.Action Action is one of those bands. And as they step into 2006 with a new album, An Army Of Shapes Between Wars, you can tell they don’t plan on slowing down anytime soon.

With a trio of keyboarders, An Army Of Shapes Between Wars is full of different melodies and effects, making an album of perfect pop rock. They all add together to make a wall of sound, pushing the songs forward through the speakers. Mark Kluepfel’s faux-British accent brings up visions of The Killers or The Bravery while still keeping their unique sound that made his former band, The Reunion Show so memorable. And really, other than that, Action Action has changed dramatically when compared to the member’s former bands. They no longer have the simplistic pop-punk of Count The Stars and have lost the sense of anger that came with Diffuser, so it’s nice to hear the band going out and trying new styles rather than getting pigeonholed.

An Army Of Shapes Between Wars has many standout tracks on it, something which is sometimes rare. And each are memorable for different reasons. Paper Cliché surprises you with the opening lyrics of “I Want To Take My Head & Cut It Open Extra Wide. I Want To Examine All The Thoughts That Seem To Circle Inside” while it’s the distorted guitars and distant vocals in The Other 90% Of The Iceberg that makes you stop and listen. It’s the laid back sound of 120 Ways To Kill You: An Illustrated Children’s Book that makes you replay it while the upbeat tempo of Sleep Paralysis really re-awakens the buzzing electronic sound of the ’80s. It’s that diversity which makes the CD entertaining. The only real downside of the album is the length. With most songs over 5 minutes each and the CD itself lasting well over an hour, An Army Of Shapes Between Wars tends to drag on near the end and doesn’t bring with it enough of an incentive to actually sit through the twelve minute closer (The Blanket Truth). But other than that, it is a very decent album.