With the crumbling of The Burning Paris, a void was left that needed to be filled. The Burning Paris' farewell of And By December You'll Know Where You're Heart Truly Lies was the masterpiece that everyone ignored. Only four songs, one being a Smiths' cover that managed to one up the original, the album was gut wrenching and utterly soothing at the same time. Never before had I heard such an unknown band whose record would end up being one of the best records I'd possibly ever hear. So when it was announced that the majority of the band would continue on under the moniker On Fire, that void felt as though it was never there. There would be plenty more records that would be played at bedtime to lull me to sleep every night. On Fire even assured me this with the title of their first EP, This Time it is Forever.
This record, like The Burning Paris' last, is an EP but it tends to run a bit on the lengthy side for an EP. Clocking in around 31 minutes, there are full lengths that don't last this long. Right from the very beginning, I started to notice very slight differences between the two bands. The trademark cello was still there, Nate Shumaker's vocals are still as perfect as ever, yet the drumming was quite a bit tighter than anything The Burning Paris had done. The sound altogether seems a bit more aggressive, which I think can be attributed to the drumming.
"New Jersey Is for Lovers", the first track on the record is a prime example. The drums seem to find themselves more in the forefront and more in your face but this doesn't detract from the rest of the music. Just makes for an overall more powerful sound in my opinion. "Please Remember" continues the record with the most upbeat songs that the two bands collectively have ever done. "Night Skies" is the best song on the record, hands down, and shows that their writing can be even with The Burning Paris'. The superb drumming really stands out on this song more than the rest and they seem to have a more collective feel to everything.
Despite the fact that this band has been almost completely dead when it comes to activity since this album came out, it doesn't leave me without hope. They are heading out in spring for the Magic Bullet Recordings tour with Paul Michel and brief stints as well by Meneguar and New Idea Society. Hopefully they make it off that damned East Coast and into the Midwest or the West Coast sometime soon. I highly recommend this to fans of Mogwai, Sigur Rós, and Black Heart Procession.
