False Cathedrals
Wow, what a difference one album makes.
Piano and heavy bass dominate the opening tandem track "Voices/Calm
Americans," and we're aware immediately that these are
guys trying to grow out of the "emo" thing that was
pinned on them on their first album. Sure, it's still emotional,
but not in a guitar-driven rock sort of way. The guitar is more
of an accompaniment of the rhythm section, coming in waves rather
than stabbing spurts. It's dreamy all of a sudden, especially
the third track, "Blessed By Your Ghost," which sounds
like something off of the Cure's
Disintegration album. The next track, "Drive On
Me," is definitely one of the highlights, as the album
takes on an eerie, floating quality. Once again, Higdon's voice
is the glue that holds everything together--the gossamer veneer
over the terrific symbiotic base of drum kit and bass
(whew!). I'm not really sure what a band like Radiohead
has over these guys from Louisville, except for a lack of Anglophlian
hype. |
If They Do ep
Amazon
As I've stated many times before, I don't
really like EPs. Many times these little things are made up
of tracks that have no business being on the same alum together.
This one is relatively forgettable in the presence of their
full-lengths. I imagine it was some sort of thing to fulfill
a half-assed contract with some indie. Because these songs are
culled from disparate material, the sound finds the band stuck
somewhere between the guitar rock of U.S. Songs and
the rhythm drive of False Cathedrals. It's not great,
honestly. |
U.S. Songs
If you want to see where so much of today's
emo b.s. on modern rock radio comes from, look no further than
Elliott's debut album. These guys manage to take what is
now a tired genre of music and move it into a more melodic place.
Yeah, I know emo sucks, and blah blah, but I'll go to my grave
defending some of this stuff (I said some). Sure, some of Elliott's
stuff is kinda melodramatic and a little esoteric in its swirliness,
but the lead singer, Chris Higdon, remains steadfast in his
passion. Looking at it in the context of today's music and not
in the perspective of 1998 when it came out isn't really a fair
comparison, as so many bands have adopted this style (both before
and after). If you want to call them a direct descendent of
bands like Quicksand and Sunny
Day Real Estate, or even Seaweed, that's
fine, but they have something going for them on their own accord.
I will not give in to musical snobbery! There are some tight
tracks on this album, anchored by good, rhythmic drumming, decent
hooks and a lead singer with an infectious (in a non-flu kind
of way) voice. |
|
Booze
& Grub
Hipster
Movie Reviews
Hipster
Book Reviews