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Tooth & Nail Records broke into the Christian music scene a decade ago with a bang. They brought bands like MxPx, Plankeye, Starflyer 59, Danielson, The OC Supertones and Project 86 to the forefront of the Christian music industry. Many of these bands were playing music that was fresh and new, music that wasn't being produced by any other mainstream Christian record label or even by many secular labels. Brandon Ebel and his staff have continued to release music that has not been able to find an outlet anywhere else, but over the last few years the edge has begun to grow dull. Recent releases from Tooth & Nail have not been, for the large part, fresh and innovative.

Holland's debut release on Tooth & Nail, entitled Photographs & Tidalwaves, is a good example of this trend. This three piece band has released a very good alt-rock album that doesn't bring us anything we all haven't already heard a hundred times before. Holland can be favorably compared to Bleach, whose fans should be encouraged to check these boys out.

Photographs & Tidalwaves keeps a nice upbeat tempo throughout its twelve tracks with the two notable exceptions of "Losing Jim," a song of personal loss, and the title track, a song of the loss of California. This would make a great album to listen to while driving around in your car. The other song that really stands out is "Goodnight Texas" which rambles on for almost eight minutes.

Will Holland's lyrics are for the most part on the dark side of melancholy which stands in bright contrast with the upbeat tempo of most of the album. Aaron Sprinkle produced the album and added some guitar and vocal work, but there are only hints of the sounds from his solo work present here and less of anything that sounds like Poor Old Lu.

The only glaring complaint I have with this album is the lack of creativity either lyrically or musically. Everything here sounds good and it's fun to listen to a few times but I forsee this album populating bargain bins and used music stores before too long. I would like to here more from Holland in the future. The band does have potential and I hope they will live up to it in future releases.

Darryl A. Armstrong 03/15/03

Holland’s debut record, Photographs & Tidalwaves, almost defies categorization. It’s not emo, it’s not indie rock , it’s not grunge-pop, it’s not funk-metal-folk-aggro-core or any of the hastily-thrown-together appellations that appear and disappear with postal regularity. After a listen or two it dawns: Holland is just plain rock. Rock with a pop sheen and some syrupy-sweet hooks, sure, but rock nonetheless.

Professionalism and restraint ooze from the Aaron Sprinkle-produced album. The record is divided almost flawlessly into two sections. The first six songs set the rules, with pleasant pop/rock melodies, clean vocals, and hooky choruses. The latter, more interesting, six break the rules with great self-assurance.

Almost every song in the first half sounds alike. "Shine Like Stars" and "One Minute to Zero" stand out, but not by too much. Thankfully, the songs develop personality later in the disc. "The West Coast" and "Bring Back July" feature fist-in-the-air, crowd-pleasing choruses, while "Losing Jim" and "Photographs & Tidalwaves" are soft, lonely ballads. The album’s hands-down best song, though, is the eight-minute ballad "Goodnight Texas," which features guest vocals from Dave Baysinger of Bleach and brings to mind Relocation-era Plankeye.

Geography is a major symbol on the lyrical side, with references to Tennessee, Texas, and Los Angeles sprinkled through the album. "The record is about change," the band offers, "and how we respond to growing up in this messed-up world." The closing title track is perhaps the most lyrically interesting, as "it’s a metaphorical song about California falling into the ocean" that juxtaposes images of skylines, city streets, and rising waters with the parable of the man who built his house on sand.

Photographs & Tidalwaves is a tightly played album that only suffers from overly repetitious song structure, while featuring two gems in "Goodnight Texas" and the title cut.

John Wilson 3/17/03