Disarmingly anthemic power pop filtered through some unexpectedly theatrical Southeastern sun
Aaron Marsh possesses a soaring voice and supple style that at times seems to channel both Freddie Mercury and Jeff Buckley, but it’s the band’s not-so-delicate balance of outsized hard rock and intimate romantic pop that makes Copeland’s second full-length such an intriguing affair. While the noisy, riff-propelled “No One Really Wins” and near-metallic “Love is a Fast Song” play up the group’s obvious arena aspirations, such miniatures as the ethereal “Kite” and the drop-dead-gorgeous “Hold Nothing Back” are more appropriately suited to the Broadway stage. Both extremes work wonderfully, knit together by Marsh’s acrobatic—often astonishing—singing.