An ace of an album

In a move that surprised no one, The Early November broke up in mid-2007. The band became another victim of the recent breakup bug within the “emo” scene ranks, where groups have too much given to them much too soon. However, the band’s frontman Ace Enders had already branched out before they even said goodbye with his 2004 solo act I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody’s Business. The project never succeeded, so post-Early November Enders has started another: Ace Enders and A Million Different People.
   
The debut album of Enders’ new group, The Secret Wars, is just about what any fan of his previous work would hope for. The eight-track record is full of mellow-pop ditties that mostly twinkle and yet sometimes rock. It is, however, an improvement over the only album released under the I Can Make A Mess... moniker, which included too many hush and meandering jams.
    
“Rain” stands out exponentially on Secret Wars because it’s so heavy and loud for Ace. After a quick acoustic-guitar intro, the track blows up with some fairly solid intensity that he’s never quite shown, including potent guitar riffs. It’s clearly not headbang worthy, but when he spits “Rain wash away my fears/ I’ll pour you an ocean full of guts and tears,” Enders’ aggressive side actually seeps through.
   
Although, Ace steps out a bit on a few tracks like the aforementioned “Rain” and “Body Like Rain,” he fills most of the album with songs he does best. “Why Do You Run” is best of the more mid-tempo tracks, driven by a tingling piano performance. Enders delivers his best vocal in the track, especially in the latter half when he maneuvers through a few different octaves.  
   
It’s a shame that The Early November didn’t make it, but it’s clear that Ace Enders will be fine. He can pump out three-minute emo/indie pop gems at such an efficient rate that he’ll have a career for a long time. Yet it’s the tracks where he expands on his standard songwriting that really work; if he pursues those avenues a bit more, he won’t need a million different people to help him out.