Review / 200 Words Or Less
Small Sails
Similar Anniversaries

Other Electricites (2007) — Shane

Small Sails – Similar Anniversaries cover artwork
Small Sails – Similar Anniversaries — Other Electricites, 2007

Hailing from Portland, Oregon, Small Sails are here to put you in a seriously great mood. Formerly known as Adelaide, this once cinematic instrumental band decided to add some vocals as an instrument and completely leave words out of the equation. "Ooohs" and "Ahhhhs" litter the album as the band traverses through ten tracks and sees them play everything from Rhodes Piano to vibraphone with very tasteful electronics backing it all. While there are some mellow moments on the album the band is at it's best when it's emitting positive vibes from all directions such as on the synth fronted "Aftershocks and Afterthoughts" or the precise sound of "Corners" which brings out the fondest memories of being a child. For fans of Sonna, the Roots of Orchis, or if you ever wanted to know what The Album Leaf would sound like if Jimmy Lavalle went his whole life without ever being heartbroken.

8.4 / 10 — Shane • July 8, 2007

Small Sails – Similar Anniversaries cover artwork
Small Sails – Similar Anniversaries — Other Electricites, 2007

Recently-posted album reviews

Contention

Nuclear Summer
Daze (2026)

Contention, I would argue, has spent the last few years at or near the top of the heap of the return to 90's styled Straight Edge Metalcore. I am being specific because there is no mistaking Contention's influences nor their message. This is a STRAIGHT EDGE band that is far more indebted to Morning Again that anything that uses a … Read more

A Secret Revealed

The Ruin I Summoned Forth
Lifeforce (2026)

There are albums that use heaviness as an assault and others that use it to create an atmosphere. On The Ruin I Summoned Forth, A Secret Revealed manage to does both. The German quintet’s fourth full-length is an enormous, bleak piece of post-metal, but calling it post-metal only gets you part of the way there. Black metal cuts through its … Read more

Time Spent Driving

Lost Leaves
Thirty Something Records (2026)

There's a particular challenge facing bands that came out of the late '90s and early '00s emo scene. You can recreate the sound people remember and risk becoming your own nostalgia act, or you can abandon it entirely and risk losing whatever made the band matter in the first place. Time Spent Driving choose neither on Lost Leaves. More than … Read more