Review Summary: Just another band in the post-hardcore world.
"I see a parasite. A sexually depraved miscreant who is seeking only to gratify his basest and most immediate urges."
"His struggle is man's struggle. He lifts my spirit."
"He is a loathsome, offensive brute. Yet I can't look away."
"He transcends time and space."
"He sickens me."
"I love it."
"Me too."
I wish I could say the same about this album.
Post-hardcore newcomers Trophywife's debut album
"An Innocent Orphan in the Post-Modern World" (which Seinfeld geeks will recognize as a quote from the show, hilariously enough) are yet another addition to the growing scene of experimentalists who seek to take back the good name of emo/screamo to it's earnest and tasteful roots. They do this by adding a dash of post-rock aesthetics and progressive musicianship, much like their peers such as Touche Amore and La Dispute. While I do enjoy the crusade these bands fight, I can't help but feel as if the scene is becoming increasingly formulaic, and Trophywife's debut does nothing to change that. While I would love to analyze and contextualize the methods behind this album the sad fact remains that nearly every one of these songs is interchangeable, and thus, the overall impact of each is diminished.
The scene opens up to us in "Seam", as the thick woodlands of the album art become materialized into the frantic drumming. There's a certain emphasis placed on percussion throughout this album, which creates a thick undercurrent to the music. While this drumming is very technical and skilled it never relinquishes its grip on the music. It constantly charges forward, even while the guitars are trying to take a more scenic route and explore different atmospheres and moods. Naturally, the only moments where the drumming doesn't sound needlessly overdone is when the band joins in on the frantic battle charge; the guitars both chopping away at the thicket of percussion with jagged riffs and weaving in slithering guitar lines sewing the compositions together. The playing
is incredibly tight and raw, like a more earthbound Gospel, but the fact still remains that the songwriting itself is somewhat lacking.
The second track "The Nomadic" introduces us to the vocals, which trade on and off between aggressive growls, Chino Moreno type drawl, and the occasional Aaron Weiss impersonation. As great as this duality works, the lyrics themselves are rather hit-or-miss.
"I am a whore for justice, someone smite me."; it speaks with a sense of biblical brevity that is both poetic and tiring. As the album continues we find the great flaw unfold itself; there is nearly no variety here. For enthusiasts of this genre this may be excusable, but to the average listener, it disconnects your interest for memorable moments and shifts in mood are few and far between. It isn't until the last two tracks on the album, "The Ocean and Machines" and "The Lust Son; The Lost Son" where we find a break from the endless gurgle of rolling drums and biting guitars. The former explores atmospheric bleakness while the latter takes us on an angular guitar crawl towards the finish line; a bit too late to reengage the listener.
"We will not let these skies fall under our horizons" belts Justin Harrison on one of the album's more decipherable moments, and yet, they allow their lofty expectations to topple in on them. The heights they traverse through their musicianship and lyrical themes come crashing down when they get to the peak of their powers and realize that they have no idea how to progress from there. The musicians are wonderfully talented in playing their instruments yet they stretch their talents thin and reveal their limitations as songwriters. While I do enjoy the sounds I hear on
"An Innocent Orphan in the Post-Modern World" (there isn't really a single song that is unpleasant) it all runs together and becomes monotony. It's an unengaging listen most of the time, and I recommend that the band applies more egalitarian methods next time giving equal attention to musicianship and songwriting.
