popwreckoning

Learn more about One Republic‘s new album Waking Up in this intimate, track-by-track commentary from the band.  Ryan, Zach, Brent, Eddie and Drew discuss the meaning behind the songs and tell the unique stories of how they were created.  Waking Up is available on iTunes now.

Twenty-two-year-old Tamar Kaprelian is working hard in Denver with One Republic‘s Ryan Tedder and Brent Kutzle after a MySpace cover of the band brought her to their attention. Tamar’s debut will be out on Interscope later this year, but her first single, “New Day,” is available now.

One Republic‘s follow up to their popular debut, Dreaming Out Loud, is finally released today, Nov. 17. Waking Up continues combing the band’s brand of alternative pop rock with an R&B edge. It continues pushing the envelope further with even better lyrics and diverse sounds. It continues to show the world that this band is not a fluke and their success is well-earned.

In honor of the album’s release date, we have a signed album and poster to give to one winner (limited to U.S. residents only).

To win: This album was recorded with the same children’s choir and orchestra used by a popular film composer, giving the album an epic and cinematic quality. The band has even consulted with this composer. To win the signed album and poster, correctly identify this composer and one of the movies he made a soundtrack for before Friday, Nov. 20 at 12 p.m. CDT. We’ll select a winner from the correct answers at that time.

And for those that don’t want to take their chances and want to be guaranteed the chance to hear this album that our reviewer loved, head to iTunes here or your local record store.

This contest is now closed. Thanks to all who entered.

One Republic: website | myspace |Waking Up review

It’s very hard to try and put a genre label on One Republic. They utilize almost every type of music, from R&B to alternative rock to even some reggae influences. Most people try and compare them to fellow “piano-rockers” The Fray, but that’s just it: the only similarity linking the two bands is the piano element. So the question remains on how to classify One Republic and if that’s even possible. Their display of a soulful, R&B edge mixed with a melodic rock premise distinguishes them from any other band in the music industry today. They continue to illustrate that distinction even more blatantly on their much-anticipated 2nd full length release Waking Up.

As a follow up to their extremely successful debut album, Dreaming Out Loud, Waking Up is an album carefully comprised of 11 songs that individually have a completely different, unique sound and feel than the one preceding it. The rhythmically-charged album begins with “Made for You,” a haunting melody that transitions into a soulful chorus and starts the album off strongly. It is followed by their first single “All the Right Moves,” which is destined to be an instant hit due to the numerous hooks that are filled with a mix of strings and strong drums. This effectively eerie combination is very reminiscent of Paper Route’s Absence album’s tone and feel. A few songs later listener is hit with “Everybody Loves Me,” a Beck-like album staple that is in a direct contrast to any other One Republic song on either album. It may sound strange to compare One Republic to Beck, but it strangely works.

Waking Up peaks with what has become my personal favorite song on the album, “Good Life.” It is full of rhythmically perfect beats and feel-good harmonies that have a hint of an African tribal flair. It’s the song on the album that will probably not become a single, but will be an instant fan favorite. (It was on repeat on my shuffle for two days straight.) Next up, the U2-esque title track “Waking Up” could almost be considered a 2-part song. Three minutes of the song is a fist-pumping section full of effective chanting and lead singer Ryan Tedder’s Bono-inspired voice. In a stark contrast, the 2nd half of the song moves into a solely instrumental piece with a heart-wrenching melody provided by an immaculate combination of strings and piano, immediately making the listener stop and take notice. One Republic hasn’t entirely dismissed their catchy, melodic Dreaming Out Loud roots, as is displayed with Tedder’s enchanting piano playing on tracks “Fear” and “All This Time.” The album is wrapped up with a song entitled “Lullaby.” It is an appropriate mellow counterpart and conclusion to an otherwise energetic album. It is slowed down to a relaxed pace and enters an almost trance-like state with soft guitars, Tedder’s pure voice, and gospel-like harmonies.

Looking back over the past 45 minutes makes one realize that an album that has combined elements of Paper Route, Beck and U2 (and doesn’t turn out to be a disaster) can rightfully be considered successfully unique. Dreaming Out Loud was full of effective, but safe melodies and textbook undertones, but they definitely take the edginess of their band to a whole new level on Waking Up. With an album dominated by intense drums, clean harmonies, and daring beats, the band has stepped out of their comfort zone and has further created a genre of their own. They could have written a radio-friendly, similar sounding album to Dreaming Out Loud, but they chose to try out a new sound that allowed them to grow and evolve into a new, fearless bad that is taking all the right chances.

Waking Up is a brave album that will earn the band respect from old and new fans alike.

It is streaming on MySpace now and is physically available Nov. 17.

Track Listing:
01. Made For You
02. All The Right Moves
03. Secrets
04. Everybody Loves Me
05. Missing Persons 1 & 2
06. Good Life
07. All This Time
08. Fear
09. Waking Up
10. Marchin On
11. Lullaby

One Republic: website | myspace

Written by: Sarah Hassan

One Republic, if you somehow missed their ubiquitous “Apologize,” is a band that is like The Fray, but with cello and nice ties to hip hop remixers.

Their new album is set to release Nov. 17, but you can check out the first single, “All the Right Moves,” here:

All the Right Moves – OneRepublic

One Republic: website | myspace