Inferni – The Doctor Is In

March 10, 2015 • self-released

Inferni is back with a slightly different name and a much different sound; though I've covered this band before they deserve a revisit after putting out this new release. They've ditched the old acoustic pop melodies for something more on the post-punk / emocore side. It may be my own genre bias talking, but I think the change suits them really well and this EP is a really great listen.

I'd call the music on this EP some kind of emo, but there are a lot of different influences getting mashed together here to pin it down well. However there is a sort of minimalist approach here which works very effectively—only one guitar keeps things from getting to messy, and the vocals are sparse to both draw attention to the music when needed, and to have a healthy emotional impact. But my favorite thing about these songs is that they have hit on just some really awesome riffs; my favorite is probably the progression in "Ondine's Curse", there's some great interplay between the choppy guitar playing and smooth bass on that track (although the arpeggios and such in "Stockholm Syndrome" are up there as well).

Among these five tracks there isn't a single weak one, and I'm personally really happy with this release. Maybe we can see another EP or even a full-length sometime in the future? hmmm? Anyway, definitely give The Doctor Is In a try. Great stuff.

Prawn, Frameworks, Xerxes, Things Fall Apart, Reverse the Curse

May 5, 2015 • Ace of Cups, Columbus, Ohio

I guess I'm okay with the somewhat low amount of shows I've been to lately since they've all been so good. Tonight was no exception.

Reverse the Curse

This band's genre is really hard to pin down—I guess I'd call it some kind of atmospheric, super-textural post-punk or alternative rock, or something. Aside from the mumbly vocals, I actually liked them quite a bit. They make a nice opener, if nothing else: they're not too extreme but they put on a really good hard-hitting groove when they want.
6

Things Fall Apart

I have mixed feelings about this band. Their music sounded really familiar, but pparently I've never heard them before—I suppose they're just kind of generic (for lack of a less-derogatory word). They play standard modern screamo, and they do do a pretty good job at it although I can't say I was thrilled. Maybe it was due to the fact that the instrumental style was very "pretty" sounding, highly melodic and twinkly, so the screamed vocals didn't really jive well. Some bands pull it off but I don't think Things Fall Apart did. They must be doing something right, though, since they had the largest crowd of any other set (what's the deal with that?)
5

Xerxes

Like a moron I decided to take a slightly-longer-than-normal break before Xerxes' set, and I wish I hadn't. They were definitely one of the better sets of the night. Although they were also pretty straightforward screamo / emocore, they are definitely doing it right for a live setting. Very energetic and driving, melodic without being too sappy, and really great interplay between the bass and guitar. It's a shame their set was so short; they're definitely worth checking out if you get a chance.
8

Frameworks

It had been ages since I listened to these guys (okay, two years, but still) and I forgot how good they are. Their particular style of screamo is probably one of the better ones I've heard, at least in the studio, and they do work well on stage too. They're a bit too messy live to be appreciated on the same level as their studio work, but it was definitely good enough. Special mention to their adorable moment thanking Prawn (it was the last day of the tour) with a little gift bag.
7

Prawn

Like I said, last day of the tour, and if you didn't see them man oh man you missed out. Prawn has never even really been one of my top-favorite emo bands (though their albums are both really quite good), but live they knocked it out of the park. If you've heard them before there's isn't much to say about the musical side of their show (although thier drummer is pretty amazing, it turns out), but even music aside, their stage presence was amazing—lots of energy, genuinely having fun. I wish there had been more songs from the first album that I would have recognized, but oh well. Great stuff.
9

Everything Wilts, Arrows in Her, Gatherer, Fossil, Until We Are Ghosts

July 21, 2014 • Fairfield Christian Church, Baltimore, Ohio

Having a concert in a church was real weird. On one hand, the standing room was weirdly organized and it was a little cramped. On the other hand, it didn't smell awful and there were no annoying drunkards (in fact, everyone was really nice). Totally worth the half-hour drive out of town to check out some amazing bands.

Until We Are Ghosts

These guys have a metalcore sound to them, with a bit of modern hardcore punk and post-screamo thrown in. I'm not sure how I feel about their music in and of itself (it was a bit too much metalcore at times), but I can't deny that their performance was pretty impressive. Good technical skills, incredible passion for their craft (especially the vocalist), and a little showmanship. Good stuff.

Fossil

Leaning more towards the lighter post-hardcore side, with a heavy dose of standard screamo. While they certainly performed well, the songs themselves weren't terribly thrilling. Not that I found myself bored or anything, but there wasn't much about them that really set them apart. Nice to watch anyway, especially given the slightly silly dancing about. Fantastic drumming, too.

Gatherer

More traditional-type screamo plus post-hardcore with a very dark feel to it (at least, in comparison to the other bands). The rhythms were really good and they did switch up the formula quite a bit with lots of changeups and different styles (including a tiny bit of blasting). The set in general was great; very fun to watch. One to check out for sure.

Arrows in Her

I can die happy now. These guys have been a top band for me ever since Leaving came out almost two years ago. Since they haven't come up with much new material since then (though a full-length is apparently almost done) the set was packed full of amazing songs. I'm still impressed by the guitarist's ability to do those intricate clean riffs and sing at the same time. Gatherer's drummer filled in and he did a fantastic job as well. So glad they finally made it here.

Everything Wilts

Half of this band was in Maumelle, a crazy coincidence I didn't realize until the show was over. Anyway: pretty upbeat (almost pop-punk) screamo, the vocals are a bit too intense for the music (kinda like Maumelle). But the band was doing some pretty interesting stuff, with some good guitar effects and different textures going on. They've got a way to go, but it's a great start.

Anger House – Asleep

June 3, 2014 • Happy Ass Records

I've reviewed Anger House here before; see my review of Loss for a good overview. Their brand of old-school emocore harkens back to the D.C. school of Rites of Spring and their peers and I love how they're doing it. Asleep is essentially just more of the same, so there really isn't a whole lot for me to say about the EP. But in no way do I see this as a bad thing. "Devotion" is probably their best song yet and one of the best post-hardcore songs I've heard in a long time. They are very consistently putting out good material, and I basically just wanted to put out yet another good word for them. So go listen!

Locktender – Kafka

July 25, 2013 • Replenish Records

I have never really been much into screamo much, but lately (as my appreciation for other emo has increased, probably) I've found a few good releases that I've really enjoyed. It's taken a few listens for Locktender to really click, as does a lot of music like this, but this is one album that's definitely worth the time to get into.

Don't let my use of the word "screamo" put you off, though; this is a bit distant from the likes of pg.99 or Orchid. Kafka has quite a diverse output of styles on display; they're mostly derived from screamo in some way, but Often the music contains a very heavy, sludge-metal-like edge, while later veering wildly into a light post-rock aesthetic. The result is music that's often very dense and chaotic and a bit difficult to wrap one's head around, but, surprisingly, in a good way. Though there's a lot going on (especially on the two longer, proggier tracks), it is one of those albums that one can hear something new in it each time.

It helps that on the whole, Locktender has a really good sense of melody that they apply all over the place for a very affecting performance. The vocals are especially good in this regard—I love the contrast between the harsh and guttural screams on most of the album, and the melodicism and passion of the singing that accents it. The guitar and bass parts are, of course, doing their part as well, just in a way that's a bit harder to put into words.

And it's probably true that a big part of the reason I like Kafka so much is that I haven't heard anything quite like this album before—not that that's saying a lot, but still—and it's still pushing all the right buttons as far as what kind of stuff I've been really getting into lately. So consider this an enthusiastic recommendation if you're at all in tune with the kind of stuff I've been into lately.

Anger House – Loss

May 4, 2013 • self-released

The new wave of emo rolls on and on, and the world is all the better for it. Especially because it's growing not just in the twinkly heights of midwest emo; heavier stuff is getting its due as well. Anger House is a band out of Texas playing some old-school Rites of Spring-style emocore, and despite being the sort of stuff that could have easily come out nearly thirty years ago, this stuff still sounds fresh and awesome.

Like any good emocore, Loss's strengths lie in good songwriting that sounds simple at first but has layers of intricateness under the hood. Each track has one or two basic yet well-crafted melodies taking the foreground, with some skillful drumming and rhythm guitars holding it all together. And not one single track is bad, each one has its own memorable riffs, and the EP never gets boring or repetitive. (Okay so maybe it gets a little repetitive, but I'm enjoying it enough that it doesn't matter at all.)

And like I said with Eiskalt I don't have a problem with a band re-treading a well-established style if they can make it good, and Anger House has made emocore more than just good. Here's to hoping they keep the momentum going.

7

Circle Takes the Square – Decompositions:​ Volume Number One

December 21, 2012 • self-released

Time for a long-overdue followup. I reviewed the first half of this album way back in November 2011 and found it a bit tough to get into. The whole thing finally came out this past December and I have to admit that I'm enjoying it a bit more now, but ultimately it's probably not for me.

I'd probably chalk it up to my tastes changing a bit over the past couple of years; after all, I've been listening to a lot more of this "extreme punk" sort of stuff lately so Circle Takes the Square fits in a bit better with my normal music listening.

Obviously a lot of what I said in the first review still applies, as it doesn't seem that the first four songs were reworked any. The band's style is still very chaotic and polystylistic, making most of the songs a bit hard to grasp. But the album's complexity is still very interesting to me, and it's fun to pick out the various intricacies it has.

But, as I predicted, forty-plus minutes of that (if we ignore the closing track) gets to be too much for me. Albums like this verge on sensory overload and eventually my brain just gives up trying to follow along. Which is unfortunate because there are some genuinely really cool parts to the album, like the majority of "Singing Vengeance into Being", which a good track but one that it's tough for me to even get to.

So I dunno—I guess this sort of music still isn't quite for me, though I can see its appeal to some. In any case, the band is gracious enough to put the digital version up for free download, so it's no cost to check it out for yourself.

5

Holding onto Hope – Of the Sea

2009 • self-released

Of the Sea is another one of those albums that just magically showed up in my library (I probably ultimately got it from a blog somewhere), but it was a pleasant surprise to find in light of my recent emo binge. It's not the greatest album like it that I've ever heard, but it's up there somewhere.

Holding onto Hope is one of the few emo-influenced post-hardcore bands that doesn't completely suck—in fact, they're quite good. Their music has a blatant post-rock and ambient edge to it that gives it a bit more depth and pleasantness than their contemporaries. They're kind of like a softer and lighter Touché Amoré (the vocalists sound almost the same, as well). It's the perfect balance of melodicism and aggressiveness for my taste—you get both heavy, crunchy breakdown riffs and more intricate lines to balance them out.

But while it has those nice guitar parts and the songs are generally well-written, the album on the whole does drag a bit about halfway through. There are a few "pure" post-rock/chamber music tracks to pad things out, but I still feel like the album is a bit lacking when it comes to diversity. The lyrics and vocals, in particular, are kind of silly and get a bit tiresome. They fit the music, though, so maybe that's just me.

Fortunately, the music is good enough to recommend the album on alone. It's nothing really groundbreaking or revolutionary but it's definitely a pleasing listen when it's on.

6

Tigon – Infinite Teeth

August 11, 2012 • The Ghost Is Clear Records

Is it metal? Is it punk? Is it math rock or emo... or what? I dunno, but all that matters is whether Infinite Teeth is any good. It's a bit of a strange album, to be sure, and takes time to get used to but I think it's pretty good.

Stylistically, Tigon is doing a lot on this album—there are as I mentioned elements of math rock (most prominently) but also emocore, sludge metal (mostly in the guitar riffs), and even some mathcore ("Whale Maker" and maybe "Plague Apparatus"). Somehow it doesn't feel totally disorienting, as the band manages to meld everything together well into their own unique sound. It's a sound that may take a bit to get used to and some elements tend to not gel terribly well—mostly the spoken, atonal vocals alongside the heavy, gritty guitar lines, and the very dissonant and even random-sounding melodies. The album's aesthetics weren't at all appealing whatsoever the first time I heard it, but they grew on me and I'm enjoying what they're doing here.

but the mood and atmosphere of Infinite Teeth is definitely good. The melodies and rhythms can get very tense and depressive, making the music seem very burdensome (if that makes any sense). But it can also become uplifting, with hints of that twinkly indie-emo sound (or is that post-rock?) during more quiet parts. Nothing ever sounds out of place, though, and though the album throws the occasional surprise at the listener it still all fits together well.

It has its flaws, of course—few of the songs are particularly memorable, it's a bit anticlimactic, and as I mentioned the vocals don't always fit the music well—but all things considered it's not bad at all. It's probably not going to top anyone's list of math rock or emo albums anytime (the songwriting is good but not fantastic) though Infinite Teeth is an impressive start, and hopefully we can see something improved in the future.

6

Circle Takes the Square – Decompositions - Vol I, Chapter 1: Rites of Initiation

August 23, 2011 • Gatepost Recordings

I've never heard Circle Takes the Square until recently (and had only barely heard of them), and I had at first brushed them off as just another generic screamo/post-hardcore band. As it turns out their sound goes way beyond that, if the long track times on this EP weren't a big clue, so I was quite surprised by this release, and although it's nothing mind-blowing, it's a very interesting listen.

Rites of Initiation fuses a surprising different styles together during its short run: atmospheric sludge and post-rock at the start, math rock, perhaps some metalcore, and a weird sound that I can only describe as "progressive screamo" which is the bulk of the EP. Lots of jagged riffs, unusual time signatures, layered vocals, very complex drumming; it sounds messy but it's definitely very focused and the band has a good handle on what they are doing. However this genre-hopping and chaotic riffing gets to be a bit jumpy for my tastes and it's hard to follow what's going on most of the time since there's so much chaos; by the time the third track rolls around it has just gotten to be overwhelming overall. Things calm down a tiny bit for the fourth track as far as the thrashing goes; it's still a pretty intense piece but easier to follow.

The four songs here are supposedly a teaser of sorts for their next full-length album, but interestingly here they all flow together into one long piece (there's that progressive thing again). I don't think it works particularly well for the reasons described above; it's just too much going on and too much to take in all at once. Fortunately, it's an EP so it doesn't last long enough to get fatiguing, but if the full-length is going to be like this EP I will have some doubts about its quality.

Regardless, it's not a bad little EP if this style is something you're familiar with and interested in. It's pretty alien to me so I'm having a tough time getting into it and finding it enjoyable, but I can't say it's bad.

5