And I Was Like, What? - We Have Nothing

And I Was Like, What? - We Have Nothing
2010, And I Was Like, What?

Portland, Oregon rockers And I Was Like, What? mix a tough-guy aesthetic with heartfelt and thoughtful lyrics on their debut EP We Have Nothing. Having found a way to stand out in a crowded and talented northwest music scene, And I Was Like, What? turn their eyes to the nation at large with more than a hope and a prayer.

We Have Nothing opens with "Secular Eyes", a song about losing your love to a religious conversion. The song is more lost than angry; catchy and very memorable in spite of its somewhat gloomy start. "Birthday Suite" blends classical construction with a catchy, Yes-inspired sound that you might call Prog Lite. Whatever you call it, And I Was Like, What? certainly seems to have found something. "Concerning Distance" comments with almost clinical precision on the things that went wrong in a relationship. Shawn Callahan has the ability to offer such an unemotional vocal style and yet imbue it was a sense of urgency that is more than it seems. "F#" bemoans the expenditure of emotion. The dark monologue is written in the wake of a relationship gone bad and has a sour grapes feel to it but is wrapped up in a highly ear-friendly arrangement that seems likely to garner And I Was Like, What? some real attention. We Have Nothing closes with "8:55 AM", a meandering and heavy baroque-rock exposition that seems to get a bit lost while clocking in at seven-and-a-half minutes. It's an intriguing closer, but seems to overstay its welcome.

And I Was Like, What? offers up an intriguing breakup EP in We Have Nothing, exploring the underside of the emotional effects of such a downfall. And I Was Like, What? makes full use of the both rock and orchestral instrumentation to layer sounds and build in appropriate levels of theatricality and texture into the songs, but does occasionally get a bit too impressed with their own musical ideas. We Have Nothing is a solid effort, worthy of consideration.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about And I Was Like, What? on Facebook.   We would suggest avoiding the MySpace page for the time being as our anti-virus programs tell us there are potentially malicious downloads there.  No online purchase points appeared available at press time.  Please contact And I Was Like, What? for more information.