2007, Victory Records
1997 is not a year ingrained in my head, nor most other people's, and really, what happened during 1997? An awful lot, I'm sure, but as far as years go, there are bigger. Sure, it was the year Radiohead's critically acclaimed OK Computer was released for general consumption, OJ Simpson was found liable for the death of Ron Goldman and battery of Nicole Simpson in a civil court case, and South Park premiered, but frankly, 1997 is a dead year in popular memory. It was only ten years ago, of course, so there's much to be seen with how things are remembered. This band certainly seems to remember it, or at least care about it enough to name themselves after it. Why 1997? Their music is hardly reminiscent of the time; ...A Better View of the Rising Moon is unmistakably modern and influenced by things both older and more recent, and those more recent are more likely to have been founded in 1997 than to have had a hit record at the time.
But honestly, who cares about the year the band chose to name themselves after, or even why? 1997's debut album is a simple, melodic release that's not concerned too heavily with sociopolitical dealings or the dangerous pretensions that too many bands turn to. The harmonizing is almost divine; the backup vocals accomplish a very clear-cut goal with some flair. The “ooh”-ing and “ahh”-ing found prominently in tracks like “Lovelikepoetry” help craft what is an undoubtedly good record.
...A Better View of the Rising Moon is hardly a perfect record, by any means. The distorted guitars are just a little too prominent; they interfere with keyboardist and vocalist Kerri Mack's sweet, ringing voice just a little too often for this to be an outstanding record and male vocalist Kevin Thomas is a fairly typical, uninspiring vocalist for the group. 1997 have a real gem with Mack, but it doesn't seem the group realizes her full potential. But in all, 1997 has crafted a nice, listenable record that's hardly a disappointment for listeners that go in with open ears.