Rarely does a remix album prove so redemptive. Following the sonically linear
Dawn Escapes, the quick release of
Exit Lights less than a year later showed that the Albany, OR, sextet had life and creativity after all. While their sophomore album focused on a message, the reworkings on
Exit Lights focused on new sounds. Never getting within the pop range of
Creed, the band experimented with hip-hop and industrial grooves. Formerly interchangeable tracks like the hits "Exit Calypsan" and "Cascades" found themselves not only more palatable but, more importantly, blog fodder for an expanded audience. Their new direction would have been welcome to both fans and newcomers who finally saw their potential to ride the modern rock fads that had ebbed and flowed during the middle of the decade. With a more diverse showing under their belts,
Falling Up started silencing the naysayers. Any fan of tightly produced, layered rock will enjoy these extended versions of nu metal hits. ~ Jared Johnson