Review Summary: "what the fuck, disco ball."
It can be difficult to take an album seriously when it sounds like the artists didn’t take it too seriously themselves. One look at the cover tells you Snowing isn’t a mature Kinsella-project knock-off. Instead, this is definitely a record where it’s absolutely necessary to listen to with an air of carefreeness. If you find yourself judging the unorchestrated, jangly guitar lines too much, it’s probably time to stop listening. If you hear nothing but chaos where there should be emotional screaming, then this isn’t for you.
*** Your Emotional Bull*** is chock-full of danceable emo with passionate (if jarring) screaming and references to give you a little smirk, but the minute you try to take it as more than that, this cute little EP fails the test.
Personally, I couldn’t decide which side of the line I was going to review for Snowing, formed in Pennsylvania from previous members of Street Smart Cyclist and Boy Problems. Until, that is, I went to their Facebook page and saw their “About Me” read: “what the ***, disco ball.” and it became fairly obvious.
*** Your Emotional Bull*** isn’t going to revive 90’s emo, but it will put a smile on your face for sure. With tightly compacted 2 or 3 minute jams, they manage to create 5 songs worth listening to. A few key aspects run rampant through this funfest. For starters, the jangly, unorganized guitars. They’re jilting and angular, but at times I felt like Snowing lacks the dexterity to pull them off. The guitars are a little overwhelming, also,and something is definitely a bit off-kilter about them that took me a while to put my finger on. Eventually, I realized it was the lack of a driving, defining percussion. I just wish there was more structure in the songs, I feel like the lack of direction is the EP’s most prominent downfall. On the other end of the spectrum, we have the confessional candor in John Galm’s passionate screams. This is really where Snowing shines, and it’s this force that’s going to (hopefully) carry their subsequent records. The troubles only start with the lyrical material. Some hit the nail on the head with a Simpson’s reference or tales of screaming At the Drive-In songs (“Methuselah Rookie Card”), very fitting and keep with the sound, with the theme. Then again, tales of unrequited love just don’t quite work (“Kirk Cameron Crowe”).
All in all, although Snowing falls victim to some of the tell-tale EP miscues,
*** Your Emotional Bull*** capitalizes on many apparent strengths. It’s certainly not the most original listen, but Snowing’s debut EP shows a lot of promise. Take this as a fun listen, and
*** Your Emotional Bull*** is a lovable little EP. Take it too seriously and it’s hard to enjoy the slipshod production and disorganization. Take my word for it, you wanna do the first of the two. And besides, it’s incredibly refreshing to hear such candor and sincerity from such a fun, carefree emo up-and-comer.
