Well, that's it. I'm super disappointed in the new Copeland record. It doesn't even come close to the greatness of their debut. I bought the record for a number of reasons, but it all boils down to the following:

1. Beneath Medicine Tree featured some incredible songwriting
   
2. Current drummer: Jon Bucklew (formerly of Denison Marrs)

That's it. I wanted to hear some good songs backed up by some big heavy beats. What I got instead was a pastiche of whiny camp with a few moments of brilliance. "Pin Your Wings Down" is a great pop tune. That's about it. Track 9 ("You Love to Sing") earns a dishonorable mention for opening up with the worst drum fill in the history of rock - one bar of straight 16th notes played very slow with absolutely no feeling. It's extra disappointing because I know Jon is capable of so much more - I went back and listened to his work with DM and it's just incredible. His playing on this record doesn't even compare.

The other letdown is the songwriting. Maybe my standards are too high, but I expected more. Beneath Medicine Tree was a great concept record, and the lyrics and melodies held it together. In Motion lacks cohesiveness, as the lyrics wander all around several general topics without ever diving into specifics. That's not entirely true; the lyrics themselves are not so much of a problem as the way the songs are constructed and produced. "Kite" features (are you ready for this?) an accordion; indie rock fans might rejoice at the possibilities, but the only purpose it serves here is to turn the track into a weak imitation of a Billy Joel ballad.

I'm probably being overly harsh, as I usually am when I first listen to something. But as I recall, I wasn't this way when I heard Beneath Medicine Tree for the first time, or World Renown for Romance, or even Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers. So I don't know what to think, but if I change my mind, I'll let you know.