Editor Reviews:

Product Description:
NearLYs debut album reminder is a unique collection of songs that are tied together by various musical and lyrical threads. Baroque strings and acoustic instrumentation are merged with aggressive bombastic drums and bass for a hollow and hauntingly seductive record that takes you on an isolating journey.

Rating : - NearLy : An Effort Worth Supporting
For a long time it seemed as though Claude Sarne (of 12 Rounds acclaim) had fallen off the face of the Earth and that she wouldn't be making any more music. 12 Rounds had completed their addition to the Princess and the Warrior soundtrack, had gone back into the studio to make another album, and had found that their next album wouldn't be released. That seemed like a tragedy, too, because she had a vocal style that made her unique and perhaps one of the best vocalists I had ever heard. That was a shame on the band front, too, because Jitter Juice and My Big Hero had been beautiful hits that suffered from the lack of fanfare more than anything. Jermone Dillion was the person that brought that voice back from the edge of obscurity, however, allowing C.Sarne a platform from which to create music. He had worked with Nine Inch Nails for a while, creating music for them, and 12 Rounds had been in the stable of performers for Nothing Records for a time and perhaps that was why he recruited her. He wrote most of the songs and the music, combining his efforts with her every now and again but mostly utilizing her voice as an instrument, and NearLY was born.
And what a beautiful birth it was.

When I first heard Reminder, I marveled at how good it was and I wondered why I hadn't heard about it earlier. Here was something that was stark, somewhat moody and bleak, and beautiful all in the same breath and had really been overlooked. Many of the songs seemed to reach in and pull out a melodic underpinning of something both brooding and slowly paced and building, and a few of the songs step back and add in pieces of instrumentation that are really complimentary to the voice of Claudia Sarne in surprising ways. The thing that really makes the band is that voice, too, with C.Sarne's ability to create something of a hybridization that sounds like something electronically dark, something thriving in the backroom of a juke joint, and something that perhaps comes from the heart of a jilted lover. Normally I would pick out a song to compliment that point as well, but almost every song on the album is worth mentioning because of the ambiance created by the performance and because it really isn't another copycat recording.
It really is hard to find something flawed to comment on in this album.

The sad thing about the band is that, now, it seems like this will be the last thing to come from them. There is Reminder itself, the single it birthed as a companion, and the live DVD/CD that compliments it. Although not specifically tied into Reminder or the single, the live CD is a good thing to pick up if you like what you find here, because it shows the efforts of the band as a live act and it has one of the last 12 Rounds songs ever made by Claude Sarne. Regardless, this is a good investment and a beautiful work, sadly making its mark on listeners but not getting enough publicity.

Reminder is a highly recommended selection that has been sadly overlooked.