Review Summary: A generic, post-screamo album with mildly interesting songs and occasional guitar solo's. Whee!
Wow I really had to re-do this review. Sure took me a while to get to it though. I took all the "where the fuck is the content" comments mildly seriously.
Originally I praised this band and this album to no limits. Today I was ready to tear the damn thing apart and call it boring and unneccesary. Not so, not so.
Upon re-listen it's really not that bad of an album. Yes, it's nothing spectactular out of the genre that gave birth to thousands of generic singers/screamers. It's got decent singing paired with half decent throat vocals. Mildly clever lyrics are paired with mildly exciting guitar riffs and chords.
The album has some positive parts as the singing/screaming combo compliments itself on this album. It doesn't get on your nerves and it's not overpowering. The songs are short and therefore to the point, no extended band jam found on this record. Highlights of the record include the song "The Willing", telling the listener that you cannot rape the willing. That...is probably true. The song is interesting as there is a guitar-vocal dialouge running through it, some end-of-chorus screaming and smooth vocals layered over the top. It's a mildly catchy song as the same melody runs through the sound. Another decent song is "Make Tonight". Well, maybe not for all listeners as there's some whiny singing and crappy lyrics. But there's a strong bass grove in the song, so it redeems itself. Think of a crappy version of Taking Back Sunday doing a really slowed and melodramatic version of oh i don't know...Twenty Twenty Surgery. (Is that even possible?)Oh and I like the throat vocals on this one, they seem almost to have emotion. Rare, eh?
Dislocation is also pretty good. It's got a slower tempo but is catchy and features some nice, smooth vocals on the chorus.
A song worth downloading if you have the time is Breathe Underwater. I believe it is hands down the best on the album. The beginning is whiny, but it's a quirky and fun song. The repeated chorus of "My friends can't breathe underwater, I guess they have weak lungs" is catchy and sticks in your head. There's little screaming, but that's for the best, innit. The background vocals sound a bit out of place, but overall it's a good "lets go out, smoke crack with friends and smash mailboxes" song. If you're into that kind of stuff...
While there's some listenable tracks, the album has many weak points. It seems rather uninspired, opting for loud noise and indistinguishiable guitar riffs. There's some generic screaming, some generic "scene kid" lyrics and some passable singing. The songs are short, similar sounding and unoriginal. Nothing stands out, but nothing rapes your ears either (well except maybe the song Xeroxicide which sounds like a cheesy attempt at a "riling-up" song, at best).
So in conclusion, if you like Chiodos or enjoy listening to mildly catchy post screamo music, check out this record. Or just listen to it for the pretty good bass riffs and ocassionally good guitar melody.
And yes, this band is truly terrible live and the lead singer smokes crack (according to Rody Walker). But all in all, it ain't that bad of a record.
Download or steal:
Dislocated, Breathe Underwater and The Willing.
Avoid like the plague:
Xeroxicide
I bought the album in hopes of reviewing it, but I didn't like this at all, and it was too annoying.
