1905
So, this is my first post here and for some reason I feel super important now.
1905 is my favoritest band ever, but it’s definitely a different “hardcore” than you’re probably used to.
Love, Kathryn.
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Hawthorne Heights
Fragile Future, is more a title for the coming decade,
The bad is inherently as bad out furture is bound to be…
Sorry if thats heavy
BUT the truth sucks, least you can get an album out of it
Burden of A Day
There’s been a flood of these “scenecore” acts in the past year and it seems Rise Records is the depot of a lot of it. Each band on the label, with the exception of one or two, sounds nearly the same = breakdowns, some synth/piano, and a mixture screaming and singing. I’m not saying this is bad because if you have an ear for it, sign it, but still, it’s gotten a bit ridiculous. One band hoping to break away from this image is Burden of a Day, whose new album, One, One Thousand,” is just hitting stores this week and let me tell you, it packs a punch.
Starting heavily with punk like chords and sing/scream vocals, “Remember,” quickly displays the technical abilities of the group. It’s not the most approachable opener, but it’s surely one to grab your attention. However, the catchy riffs of, “Fool Me Once,” will likely pull more people into the record. I would like to note, the electronics are much more absent on this than most Rise Releases and it’s all for the better as BoaD’s punk like metal helps draw attention like synthesizers only wish they could. A solid example can be found on the epically brutal, “The Mason,” which is an easy standout for best track on the record.
A problem with albums of this genre is not siply lasting power on repeat plays, but keeping things interesting even the first time through. I mean breakdowns can only get you so far before you have to find a new game. For Burden of A Day, the ability to keep us listening is something that seems to come easily for awhile. Tracks like, “Sly Fox,” and “OneOneThousand,” have great structure and instrumentation that give way to hooks that just latch onto your subconscious and remain there for days. However, that’s only two of the back 5 tracks and let me say, the other three feel a bit dull. I mean, not only does this band play the same sounding song over and over, but so does about 45 other full time touring acts right now that are on the same exact shelves. I will note that the closer, “My Forfeit,” has a beautiful message and true display of the band’s faith, but it still feels like something I’ve heard twelve other times this year.
In the end, I’m split on my thoughts for One One Thousand. I mean, they play breakdowns and meld sing/scream vocals quite well, but so does I See Stars, A Day To Remember, In Fear and Faith, and a few other acts who’ve had album out thus far this year. However, the lyrical content hear is quite strong and I wish there was a better platform to get their message of faith across than metalcore, but it’s what they’ve chosen to do. So, as I walk away from about the tenth play of the album, I’m still at a crossroads. There’s something to be said for doing what everyone else does well, but it’s still what everyone else does. I guess it’s a genre of pick and choose acts and to me, Burden of A Day just doesn’t make the cut.
Artist: Burden Of A Day
Album: One One Thousand
Genre: Screamo / Post-Hardcore / Christian
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/burdenofaday
- Track List -
01. Remember 03:39
02. Fool Me Once 03:43
03. The Mason 03:31
04. Oceans 01:24
05. The Shame In Shedding Wool 03:35
06. Sly Foxes 03:52
07. Isadora Duncan 03:47
08. OneOneThousand 03:28
09. Modern Gentlemen 03:34
10. My Forfeit 03:59
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Greeley Estates
From the frantic palm mutes and Norma Jean-esque dissonant chords that kick off album opener “Blue Morning,” it’s easy to tell that Greeley Estates are doing the sort of thing that frankly we’ve all heard other bands do before. However, while it’s easy to pass off this release as just another generic offering of the post-hardcore/pop-punk/whatevercore scene, to do so would be to pass up some rather brilliant moments this record has to offer.
First off, “Blue Morning” is a great example of a song’s composition following its lyrical content. The song is told from the perspective of someone succumbing to a zombie bite (yes, the premise is ridiculous, but we have to take these things for what they are) and warning his loved ones to either quarantine him or run and hide. The tone switches from denial, as vocalist Ryan Zimmerman Wails “I’m not a monster/I’m just a sick man” to acceptance, as he chants “I feel it in my blood now/It’s turning me” over a single melancholy palm muted guitar. The song ends with Zimmerman shrieking “You better lock the doors and hide” as the pounding drums and guitars gradually slow to a near standstill, presumably representing the narrator’s fading heartbeat. It’s a powerful effect that Greeley Estates utilize to its fullest in this track.
Another particularly memorable section happens towards the end of “Go West Young Man”, where the chorus sinks into a shining example of Zimmerman’s distinctive scream, out of which rises a lumbering slow section driven by a rock-flavored pentatonic guitar riff. The second time through, Zimmerman’s vocals are supported by a subtle major key choral harmony, which then suddenly takes over the lead, punctuated by short, bombastic guitar chords. This creates a very stark contrast to the bleak feel of the song without feeling misplaced. It’s a compositional choice that really drives home the fact that post-hardcore doesn’t always have to use the same hackneyed devices.
Another standout section is in “If We’re Going Out Let’s Go Out In Style,” where the prechorus’s ethereal-sounding singing over heavily strummed power chords segues seamlessly into the chorus, where Zimmerman overdubs a nursery rhyme-like melody with some of his most wrenching screams. This sort of juxtaposition highlights something that Greeley Estates do very well: Take things that simply shouldn’t work in this sort of music and then make them work anyway. This specialty is also apparent in the syncopated, almost latin-tinged delivery of the clean vocals Blue Morning.
It’s also worth noting that Greeley Estates’s rhythm section does some seriously catchy work, such as in the bouyant drop D chugging of “Desperate Times Call For Desperate Housewives.” Although he can sound a little bit loose at times, drummer Brian Champ clearly has control of his kit, particularly the double kick. While a skilled drummer is par for the course in this genre, Champ’s drumming takes some unexpected turns, such as the chorus of “Go West Young Man,” where his start-stop drumming has a determined yet tentative quality that parallels the sense of coming-of-age uncertainty that characterizes that track.
There’s plenty of bad along with the good. As evocative as Zimmerman’s screams are, they can become tiresome over the course of the whole album. The album gets repetetive fast, and the glimpses of brilliance that were so common at the beginning seem to become less prevalent as a string of several same-y tracks chug by in the album’s middle. None are outstandingly bad, but neither are they particularly exciting. A notable exception is “Let The Evil Go East” which combines a frantic pace with spastic major-minor key changes to create a song that’s aggressive, catchy, and leaves you with the musical equivalent of whiplash.
The following track, “I Have To Warn You, This Won’t Be Easy” also has an interesting moment where it slows down and the vocals take on a subdued tone before an agile twisting guitar lead takes over and slowly brings the song back up to speed while drawing out the section’s muted feel. Unfortunately, the song ends with a somewhat uninspired breakdown type of thing. Penultimate track “Keep The Heat On The Dash” is also rather interesting in that it seems torn between trying to be anthemic and trying to be melancholy, as a musical tug-of-war ensues between the opening riff and chants, and the subsequent dissonant guitar harmonies. The whole personality struggle ends up leading the song into a cool section that has Zimmerman’s delay-soaked voice ooing and ahhing over guitar harmonics, leading into a pseudo-breakdown and another cascade of cleverly layered vocals.
Closer “You’re Just Somebody I Used To Know” wraps up the album, a fast, fun, simple song, the first half of which I’m fairly sure I heard on Blessthefall’s “His Last Walk.” It’s a solid track, though, which leaves the listener feeling as if the album was more satisfying than it actually was.
In short, “Go West Young Man, Let The Evil Go East” is a solid album by a solid band that will occasionally turn your head. It’s definitely worth checking out simply for those outstanding moments.
Review By Dylan Gil-Gomez of Sputnikmusic.com
Artist: Greeley Estates
Album: Go West Young Man Let The Evil Go East [2008]
Genre: Emo / Hardcore / Screamo
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/greeleyestates
-Track List-
1. Blue Morning
2. Go West Young Man
3. If We’re Going Out, Let’s Go Out In Style
4. Desperate Times Call For Desperate Housewives
5. If She Only Knew
6. If I Could Be Frank, You’re Ugly
7. In The Ashes
8. Mother Nature Is A Terrorist
9. Let The Evil Go East
10. I’ll Have To Warn You, This Won’t Be Quick
11. There’s Something Wrong With The World Today
12. Keep The Heat On The Dash
13. You’re Just Somebody I Used To Kno
Read MoreTry Album [Mediafire] | Greeley Estates – Go West Young Man Let The Evil Go East