Copeland - "Eat, Sleep, Repeat"

Someone recently asked me what my favorite album of all time was. I think its an awesome question. While its often difficult to pick just one band or artist to call your favorite, an album has the ability to influence and inspire you in a personal way, without its creator necessarily earning the title of favorite band as well. For me, the requirements I had were that a) I had to grow up in the time when the album was released, enabling me to be a part of the cultural climate in which the album was both created and released amid, and b) the album had to be perfectly crafted, not having any songs I would skip, and being cohesive the entire way through.

With that said, my favorite album of all time is Copeland's "Eat, Sleep, Repeat." Their major-label debut on Columbia before its collapse, Copeland released this album in October of 2006, on the heels of their successful album, "In Motion." For Copeland, "Eat, Sleep, Repeat," was a departure from their forward, alternative pop rock sound that brought them notoriety. The album features lush string arrangement, ethereal production, and many studio-based elements such as a mellotron (the haunting instrument in the background of The Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever") and piano reversals (done by digitally reversing a section of a recording to create an unnatural sound pattern).

From the first ghostly xylophone notes of the opening track, Copeland creates a beautiful listening experience. The songwriting is their strongest yet, and frontman Aaron Marsh's voice settles into a sweeping high range that maintains a forlorn, wistful tone. The band's arrangements are stunning: the drum parts are creative and driving, the lead guitar is piercing and expressive, and the string, horn, and effects arrangements are sonic gold.

This is not an album to miss. From start to finish, Copeland's "Eat, Sleep, Repeat," is an incredible testament to the seemingly lost art of creating a cohesive, great album.

Here is the single from the album, titled 'Control Freak.'

-Glenn

What's your favorite album?