Following in the footsteps of Yellowcard, Taking Back Sunday, Thursday, and Halifax, The Myriad was 2007's MTV2/Dew Circuit Breakout Artist. Initially, The Myriad was hand-picked by MTV from over 4000 bands to be one of 12 national finalists in the search for the "next big thing". MTV then turned the competition over to fan voting to ultimately determine the winner. The finale aired live on MTV2 December 15th, 2007 and featured performances by the top 3 finalists. Several million votes later, The Myriad was crowned 2007's MTV2 breakout champion.
The band's video for "A Clean Shot" was produced by MTV at NYC Times Square TRL studios and was "Unleashed" into regular rotation on MTV2 beginning January 14th, 2008.
With Arrows, With Poise was mixed at Hansa Studios in Berlin, Germany by Michael Ilbert (The Cardigans, Kent, The Hives) and mastered at historic Abbey Road Studios in London, England by Adam Nunn (AIR, Radiohead, Franz Ferdinand, George Martin, Mogwai) as well as acclaimed Sterling Sound in New York City by Greg Calbi (Beastie boys, John Mayer, Interpol, Norah Jones).
Click here to add a video. Click to add lyrics if not listed.
With Arrows, With Poise| Posted January 08, 2009 The Myriad is one of the most unique bands I?ve ever heard. Winners of the MTV2 contest to determine the next breakout artist, they hit the ground running ?With Arrows, With Poise?. Not only is the album title and artwork obscure, the music is the most original and they are the most engaging new artist I heard in 2008 other than After Edmund, who is another great new alt-rock Christian band. Other comparisons could be Christian bands Anberlin, Mae and Saosin. There are a couple of songs I just keep playing, including the hit song ?A Clean Shot?, which is so catchy and obscure.
There is not a strong biblical basis for just about any of the songs. Opening song ?You Waste Time Like A Grandfather Clock? has an interesting bridge asking ?And If God did part the clouds, do you think He?d be proud?? The next song ?Get On The Plane? has the lyric ?It seems that God was not impressed with clever crooked fools?. Another standout song ?A Thousand Winters Melting? has the great chorus ?Love, Love, a thousand winters melting. Love, yes love, as you wrap your arms around me?. All that being said, the diversity of the songs and the great music keeps your interest much more than the average album. ?Don?t Let Them See You!? is another song in that category as it just jams and builds to the exclamation ?You might be wrong!? I can?t say enough about the music as the instruments and vocals all blend so poetically that you can get swept up by the songs, such as in ?Forget What You Came For? and ?The Accident?. I?ve listened to the album as background music while working, and cranked up in my car while driving and on my headphones breaking down the strange lyrics and it works on all fronts. The production, originality and style are all top notch.
For me personally, had The Myriad decided to be more direct in expressing their faith, this album would have been in my top 10 albums of 2008. As it is, I still like it a lot and rate it 90% out of 100% and consider it one of the best buys of the year. On iTunes, I got 14 songs with 2 bonus tracks including a cover of the Blondie classic ?Call Me? and the music video for ?A Clean Shot? for $7.99, which is a great buy.
With Arrows, With Poise| Posted June 17, 2008
There's just something about the music The Myriad has crafted with their sophomore album that can leave you speechless. Their overall sound is even hard to describe. I hear moments of the spacey Muse or atmospheric Radiohead as well as straight up catchy rock like their first single, 'A Clean Shot' shows. One thing is for sure, well-crafted is a great way to describe With Arrows, With Poise.
Right from the beginning of the album you can tell this isn't a typical rock record. The Myriad use a plethora of instruments that do indeed give the music an outer space type of feel. What's more is they manage to do this and keep things from getting depressing or drab. No, instead it's all upbeat as the lyrics heavily laden with metaphors and symbolism are delivered. You can see the Christian theme but they aren't 'in your face' about it. It's a bit more subtle than, say, a band like Sanctus Real or The Afters. But I think it's that mix that will be a hit with a wide audience. The lyrics certainly have a fairy tale vibe to them that I haven't quite figured out. But hey, the music keeps me coming back for more anyhow so I'll get it eventually!
Another thing I can say I noticed is the bass is quite powerful and not at all in background like some bands seem to forget it exists altogether. The aforementioned single, as well as 'Throwing Punches', make great use of it to set the mood. With the latter song and the closer, there seems to be a sense of urgency as the vocals croon around a hypnotic melody. Whether that's done by a piano or what sounds like a xylophone or whatever other instruments they used; it's all beautiful.
Ok... now I think I'm gushing... but you get my point. This is one of the most unique Christian releases I've heard and I love the artistic flair in the whole thing. It's anything but cookie cutter rock and overall a very rich and rewarding experience to the listener. The Myriad have given us one of the best of the year, Christian music or otherwise.
Gems of this album are: 'A Clean Shot', 'A Thousand Winters Melting', 'You Waste Time Like A Grandfather Clock'
MTV GOT IT RIGHT| Posted September 29, 2008
Like many artists who’ve made it big through grassroots support, Seattle-based rockers The Myriad had prime TV show placement to help get the proverbial ball rolling. In addition to placement on “The Real World: Denver,” the band sealed its “Emerging Artists” status by getting handpicked by MTV for the “Dew Circuit Breakout” challenge, which The Myriad ended up winning, thanks to several million voters.
So to say that expectations are high for the band’s Koch Records’ debut, With Arrows, With Poise, is a serious understatement. But thanks to a pitch-perfect set list packed with one clever song after the next, rock & roll fans won’t leave the listening experience disappointed. In fact, there’s not a dud in the 12-track bunch, a rarity in our singles-driven, iPod age.
What makes these songs really pop is an intuitive knack for melody (see “Forget What You Came For” for the band’s best work) and the polished yet decidedly artsy production from Michael Ilbert (The Cardigans, Kent, The Hives). Just when the listener is expecting the song to head in a certain direction, there’s one surprising turn after the next, which leads to a rewarding listening experience that should easily cement the band’s status as “one to watch.” –Christa A. Banister
This review has been reprinted on NRT with permission from CCMMagazine.com. Click here to visit CCMMagazine.com today!
The Myriad doesn't lack poise| Posted June 27, 2008
At a glance at the cover of this CD three things are apparent: the cover art is strange, the band name is strange, and the album name is strange. The Myriads sophomore album, With Arrows, With Poise, is about being a little bit odd whether it’s their alternative rock music, or their mysterious lyrics.
The style of music should probably be labeled under organic alternative rock, but it’s hard to pin down what kind of music the Myriad does when it’s as bizarre as it is. Give credit to the band for creating something that sounds as strange as it does but still has a good flow, for that is the case on “you waste time like a grandfather clock” which combines it’s instruments nicely, sound vaguely like Lost Ocean and “believe”. The opening of “Get on the plane” sounds normal with its steady rock beat, as the song sounds similar to modern Falling UP, but the suddenly the song turns completely to a nice piano while employing a chorus of background vocals to make this song one to remember.
“Forget what you came for” has a odd flow, but the alternative light rock is solid, changes in the tune keep the song from getting boring and although the chorus is repetitive, the instrumental bit in the end keeps thing strange. The medium rock on “clean shot” has a good organic flow to it and overall it’s one of the more basic songs on the CD, but it is by no means a weak song. The Myriad got a little carried away with the electric guitar intro on “the accident”, but the chorus just rocks, making it the hardest song on With Arrows, With Poise. “Holiest of thieves” begins with a western alternative rock reverberation, the solemn rock is good and the chorus of voices in the back of the end of the song continues the odd stretch in songs.
“A thousand winters melting” is a quick but sturdy alternative rock tune and “polar bears and shark fins” starts softly and remains a solid rock song with a exceptional ending. What sounds like a beating heart starts “throwing punches” off; the music is soft and the most emotional sounding song on the disc, also some strong piano instrumental bits are thrown in to spice things up. again with a music formula similar to Falling up, “don’t let them see you” is a rock song, that grows more intense as it goes one, even with it’s repetitive end. The music is obviously strange in “braver than the rest” and it may start out a little slow but it picks up to become a more emotional tune and a highlight. The final song, “stuck in a glass elevator”, is a ballad where front man Jeremy Edwardson’s vocals is especially high; and the soft music is a nice tough and a nice ending.
The lyrics are as strange as the music if not stranger. While it’s clear, even with their cryptic songs that the Christian alternative rock band Falling Up stands for Christ, it’s not nearly as apparent with the Myriad. With lyrics like ‘It's all a bit confusing...impossible at best!/But when I walk alone at night I feel their holy presence lift my head.’ it’s likely fans will come to the same confusion on where this band stands. The “Holiest of thieves” might be a reference to Christianity, “You Waste Time Like a Grandfather Clock” at least sends the message of not wasting time, but beyond that it’s anyone’s guess.
The alternative rock is good, because it always is something different and it’s always solid thing people will most likely learn from With Arrows, With Poise album? Probably that when you face weird looking monsters have a bow and arrow handy, plus if you waste time make sure you are not doing like a grandfather clock. Hope for more lyrical clarity from The Myriad in the future
A+++++| Posted October 19, 2008
This cd is incredible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I was impressed with their first cd and when I heard the EP , I knew we had something amazing coming our way. And that something amazing is this cd!The Myriad deserves the attention they are recieving because this is a very,very good record!A Clean Shot,Forget What You Came For, and You Waste Time Like A Grandfather Clock are my favoirtes.
The Myriad: W/ arrows, w/ poise| Posted June 30, 2008
This band shows that it has a lot of potential. The cd has good lyrics in which all the songs are like little books. With Arrows, With Poise reminds me of a book made up of 12 small short stories. Though the lyrics are good and the music is pretty good, all of the songs are dragged out to about 4 mins each some a little longer and like two a little shorter. Do not get me wrong it is a good cd, it has its strong points. The more I listen to this cd the more I like it; so if you have doubts at first, give a few more trys!
to add lyrics if not listed.
