Dept. of Energy

“History’s repeating!” Dept of Energy frontman Robb Benson belts out with full diaphragm control in “Carnival,” one of the indelible pop songs on the band’s first full-length, Held by Waits. But nothing could be less true.

For years Robb Benson has rocked and rolled in a number of projects well-loved in the Northwest: Nevada Bachelors, Dear John Letters, and solo as simply Robb Benson. His voice, nasal and powerful, graces all projects as such a highlight that the myriad songs tend to blur together. Distinguishing certain Dear John Letters tracks from certain others by Nevada Bachelors can be like Jeopardy.

Held by Waits strays from his history and, without implying that any quality is lacking from the past discography, sounds all the better for it. The drumming from Cassady Laton has only improved at pulling the group together, while keys take on a bigger role than in last years EP from Dept of Energy, balancing out what many, including this reviewer, considered in 2006 almost another Robb Benson solo record.

From organ to synth to piano, Ty Bailie lays it on thick and abundantly through tracks like the soulful “The Way You Pictured It” and the dance-rock Franz Ferdinand usurper “Firewall.” Soft electric keyboards back classic Benson guitar lines — Modest Mouse analogy, anyone? — like opener “Scuba” and ballad closer “Stereo Embers.”

Dept of Energy not only one-ups the band’s intelligent debut last year, but establishes a new band for Benson fans to rally behind and cry, “Give us more, give us more, give us more.”

And this time, don’t break up.

-Joseph Riippi, May 01, 2007
- Three Imaginary Girls

Best Norwest Releases of 2007
January 3, 2008
For the purposes of this list the Northwest includes Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. I’d like to include Vancouver B.C. but I just don’t know enough to really say too much about it. Notable bands who hail from the northwest and released an album this year include but are not limited to the 25 chosen for this list. Should I have aggregiously missed an album that deserves attention, leave a comment.

25. Dept of Energy - Held By Waits

- Sound on the Sound

TIG Best Northwest Releases of 2007: Readers' Poll Results
You voted, we tabulated. Our imaginary readers never fail to amaze us with their fabulous taste in music.

So without further ado {or flattery}...



Here are the winners of the Three Imaginary Girls top 50 Northwest Releases of 2007 Readers' Poll:

#33 Dept of Energy Held By Waits (Roam Records)

- Three Imaginary Girls

Put simply, great pop music is pure aural velocity, its choruses managing the kind of emotional exhilaration that leaves the listener hitting repeat and holding their side all night. The follow up to 2007's marvelous Held By Waits, The Dept. Of Energy's Faster comes equipped with this kind of musical speed and the result is one of the best pop albums to arrive from anywhere for quite some time. Led by singer Robb Benson, this Seattle trio's numbers come with an immediacy that's unrivalled by their musical peers. "Look, all I'm doing is spinning and watching it twist," Benson sings on the flawless album opener "The Nice Sleep." He's doing more than that; he's gliding through the emotional world and narrating all the angles of the human heart. No false moves are made on this ten-song collection and as a result, there's much to recommend: The pulsing, organ-soaked wonder of "Josephine"; the easy pop charm of "Solid"; or the swirling "Mind Over Matter." Later, "The Shift" packs a dizzying punch; "Play Fighting" builds to a delicious froth, as Benson declares over and over, "play fighting is real fighting," and the breathless album closer ("Faster") ends these proceedings with a riveting organ and drum crescendo. Benson's every bit as genius as Brian Wilson or Lindsey Buckingham in that he knows how to find the hooks and, like some kind of musical ninja, throw them in just the right places so they connect every time. This is pop music. This is the stuff that brings you to your knees.

—Alex Green

- www.caughtinthecarousel.com

Hailing from Seattle, Washington, the music capital of the Pacific Northwest, this three piece of Robb Benson, Ty Bailie and Cassady Laton brings us the follow-up to their successful debut full length, Held By Waits. Their latest effort shows off a tight group fully rooted in the indie pop rock sound." Dept. of Energy manages to mash up its
influences, add its own personality and really own each song on the album.
One of my favorites, "Josephine" starts out with organ keys, sounding fun and dancy with high energy vocals and melodic yelling similar to that of Sean Nelson. The
upbeat nature, bouncy keys and harmonies along with the electric guitar solo sound like it could be straight out of a Long Winters' song. On "The Shift" Benson's vocals have a full-out instrumental backing including layers of cello amongst the strong drum thrashing and Bailie's signature keyboard stylings. With the rich instrumental
talent from within the band or guests with intstruments like a banjo or a cello, each song portrays a different sense of emotion and energy that matches perfectly with the vocals.
Something that does make Dept. of Energy stand out is that from song to song the group manages to make themselves, both vocally and instrumentally, sound a bit different and interesting while maintaining a certain sense of cohesiveness that binds all of the songs together as a
complete album.



- www.adequacy.net