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

Have Mercy – A Place of Our Own

October 27, 2014 • Hopeless Records

I've put off reviewing this one for so long, and I was never really sure why until now—I think I didn't want to admit to myself that I really don't like it all that much. It's odd considering that their first album is pretty good (albeit kind of a guilty pleasure) and this one is basically more of the same, but maybe that's why it doesn't click with me in the same way.

If you've listened to any song from The Earth Pushed Back—no, seriously, any one, they're all the same—you've heard this album. I didn't really have a problem with every song being the same before (even using a lot of the same exact chord progressions and the like) because they play them with a lot of energy and passion and yeah, the songs are pretty good. But this time around it just feels kind of recycled and so there really isn't anything interesting to talk about. It does have some decent songs, I'll admit, but not enough to hook me like anything on the debut did.

I dunno. Maybe I'm just not in the same mood anymore and the mopey-aggressive dichotomy and excessive melodrama hasn't doing anything for me on the particular days I've chosen to give this album a try. Maybe it'll grow on me. I don't know.

Dikembe – Mediumship

July 22, 2014 • Tiny Engines

For some reason I keep forgetting this band exists—even though they're easily one of my favorites of the new wave of midwest emo (despite being from Florida). I loved Chicago Bowls, and Broad Shoulders was just as good. But something happened after that and this, their second album, just isn't cutting it for me whatsoever.

The midwest emo sound is actually disappearing, being replaced with a bit more straightforward indie rock style (or even alternative rock, somehow). A few of the tracks on are a bit more on the soft, plodding, post-rock-ish side as well. Nothing atypical for this style of music, I suppose.

But going back and comparing this to Broad Shoulders, just two years earlier, it almost feels like a different band—or at least like something special has been lost. No more silly audio clips, everything feels a bit slower and flatter, and a little bit more generic; even the vocalist (when he doesn't sound like a different person entirely) sounds like he's falling asleep most of the time, when on previous songs he was quite energetic. It took until the eighth song, "Donuts in a Six Speed", to finally hear something like the band I was expecting.

I dunno; I guess the songs are still decent, but I can't help but feel massively disappointed. Hardly anything in ten whole tracks got me excited; I really wonder what happened to this once-great band. At least they still have one great EP and one great album to listen to regardless.

7 Inch Grab Bag, part 3

In case you missed my recent haul post, I got a grab bag of ten randomly-selected 7" records. Here are my thoughts on the final four!

Bevil Web / 3 Dream Bag – Split

1995 • Simple Solution Records

Lo-fi rock from the hazy days of the mid-'90s. It's a bit too slow and uninteresting for me, though I have to admit Bevil Web can gloom it up with the best of them. It just feels a bit too sloppy and unrefined to really be of any excitement. Both bands are basically the same thing, though 3 Dream Bag is a bit more acoustic and nasally. Neither are really that great. Oh well.

---

Destroy! – Burn This Racist System Down!

1992 • Havoc Records

Yes, finally, more grindcore! This is old-school stuff, too, from the early '90s. Songs are short, to-the-point, growly, razor-sharp; there's also a couple really long meandering ones in there too which is interesting. It's hard to expand much on what makes a grind EP good, so just take my word for it that these guys had their stuff down. Totally recommended (just don't cut yourself on those edgy lyrics...).

---

Digression – Controlled

1996 • Surprise Attack Records

Early metalcore, and a very kind of primal version at that. Very aggressive, lots of chugging breakdowns, but also with this lo-fi punk aesthetic. It's probably not something anyone would consider "good" from a purely artistic standpoint but it's interesting to me because, for all the awful DIY punk I hear, I never have really heard any DIY metalcore, and it feels unique just for that. But that's just me, and this still isn't that great. Maybe. "Diary" is pretty good.

---

Love + Respect – Deep + Heartfelt

1989 • Penultimate Records

I still don't like garage punk and I don't really like Love + Respect, but there's definitely worse out there. I don't like how most of it is just kind of dumb; I guess Love + Respect is at least tongue-in-cheek about it but that doesn't help that much. The music is just too simple-sounding to hold my interest. I dunno. At least "If I Only Had a Brain" has this neat noise rock thing going on that is a bit different from the rest of the tracks; I like that one.

Braid – No Coast

July 8, 2014 • Topshelf Records

This one caught me a bit off guard; I haven't really been paying attention and didn't realize at first that Braid, one of the most seminal emo bands of the original '90s wave, reunited for a new album and tour. (I guess I was too interested in similar situation of the Owls reunion.) There's something a bit odd about a bunch of old-timers playing music that's always been a very teenage sort of thing, but I guess if anyone were to try and pull it off I'd rather it be Braid than just about anyone else.

No Coast definitely has a different sound than their older albums (as should have been expected). It's less emo and more straight-up indie rock, with more restrained vocals and an overall more straightforward sound. There's still a little bit of that punk-ish drumming and emotive guitar lines, but the result is definitely on the tamer side. I won't call it completely radio-friendly yet, but it edged in that direction a little bit.

Of course that isn't necessarily a bad thing; the songs are still pretty good. A little repetitive, perhaps (especially in the lyrics and choruses), but definitely enjoyable. It's well-produced, slick-sounding stuff and there are plenty of nice catchy riffs and rhythms ("Many Enemies"' Pixies-esque style stands out as one of the top tracks). However, they still don't come anywhere close to the greatness of The Age of Octeen or Frame & Canvas. There just aren't a lot of moments that are as moving or memorable as those two albums were.

That being said, it's still good stuff and worth a listen or two. After all, it might have been sixteen years but it's still Braid and they're still good. I guess if this exact album was made by another band, it probably wouldn't get the same response (yes, even from me) but I think it would still be quite well-received. Anyway, check it out already.

Lobby Boxer – Lobby Boxer

May 16, 2014 • self-released

I haven't written any new emo reviews in a while (okay, any reviews, for that matter), and since there have been a million of these bands crawling out of the woodwork there certainly hasn't been a shortage of good stuff to recommend.

Lobby Boxer takes the midwest-emo-revival sound and puts a slightly more aggressive pop-punk sound on top, a style which I've noticed is gaining a bit of traction lately. I won't say they do it the best of any band I've heard, but they definitely are doing it well. The songs have a very natural ebb and flow to them, back and forth from stomping start-stop rhythms to calmer introspective textures. And they can get heavy, too—that last track "Fragile Girl" is a real pounder. The level of dynamics is pretty impressive.

Special shout-out to the bass guitar player; there are some surprisingly detailed lines going on there that really help give the music a unique sound.

Anyway, yeah, another band to keep an eye on. Might as well give it a spin if it sounds even remotely interesting—hard to beat that download price.

Have Mercy, Pentimento, Gates, Head North, Vice on Victory, Absent Youth

July 14, 2014 • Double Happiness, Columbus, Ohio

Not my first time at Double Happiness, but my first time there for a concert. Definitely the smallest, most intimate show space I've been to that wasn't a house; turns out it's actually a pretty good venue.

Absent Youth

Since there were six bands and I wasn't totally sure what time they were starting, I wound up guessing a bit off and missed almost all of Absent Youth's set—all but one and a half songs. It's unfortunate because from what I did catch they seemed like they were pretty good; kind of your standard heavy-emo stuff I guess. I should look them up.

Vice on Victory

Definitely taking a solid pop-punk turn, though not in a bad way. Songs were pretty catchy with some cool breakdowns (surprising to me, but then again I don't really listen to much pop punk). Not exactly my kind of material, but they still seemed pretty talented and knew how to put on a good show.

Head North

The surprise of the night (there's always at least one, right?), these guys were phenomenal. Another pop punk band with a bit of emo influence and this really uplifting, feel-good aesthetic that was immediately infatuating. Cool stuff.

Gates

I got a real Appleseed Cast vibe from these guys, with a very droney, atmospheric, hypnotizing post-rock vibe. Usually I'm not really into the more post-rock-ish stuff but they do it well, and in the context of this show it was, if nothing else, a nice change of pace. They were great to listen to, too; it was all too easy to just get lost in the wall of sound and zone out. It felt like it was over too quickly, though.

Pentimento

More upbeat pop-punk sort of stuff; not a total mopefest but a bit of that melancholy influence in there. Nice, driving, rhythmic stuff with enough aggression and complexity to that you don't really notice it's pop punk.

Have Mercy

Wound up being way better than I imagined it would be. I guess it always helps my enjoyment of a show when I'm familiar with the material beforehand, and I had spent a lot of time listening to The Earth Pushed Back last year. I can say pretty confidently that the songs work better live, and that's saying something. Absolutely worth coming out for. And unlike a lot of successful bands, these guys were still very genuine and friendly and a joy to see play and talk to.

Reighnbeau – Hands

May 1, 2014 • Bridgetown Records

What a difference two years can make. Okay, so Reighnbeau really isn't that different from when they released their last album Ashes, but am I glad I took the chance to look into them again. I liked Ashes quite a bit, but Hands is a fantastic followup and one shows some great growth for the band.

It's is still a slowcore album, for sure; the lolling tempos and dragging rhythms and gloomy atmosphere is all intact, and Reighnbeau is still one of the better bands to do this particular sound that I've heard (though I've never been a huge fan of the genre anyway). Again their focus on texture rather than songwriting is probably why they appeal to me so much, but man can they ever do texture well. That's not to say their songwriting is bad; there are quite a few songs here that are actually pretty engaging when the drums and well-defined chord progressions kick in (things like the climax of "Dust" with its heavy, driving sound are especially great).

Though I think they've really improved their skills with their sound. Hands mixes their old style with this hazy, slow, drugged-out, almost-psychedelic production, landing closer to the My Bloody Valentine end of the spectrum and farther from the Slowdive end. It's a bit radical compared to the clean and empty style on Ashes—although things never get so thick as to be overbearing, there's still a sort of wall-of-sound effect going on at times. It works pretty well, though, and they really use the production to their advantage to keep songs interesting. It becomes the kind of thing where you can just sit back and get lost in the sound as it washes over you. I'm not sure how I feel about the vocals, though; they're always at a near-whisper and mixed very low, so they often get lost in the fog. But maybe that's what they were going for.

But again I'm mostly talking out my ass because I don't listen to shoegaze or slowcore very much and when I do there are about two bands I actually enjoy. But regardless, this is still something I am liking, so it's got to be at least a little good for your average slowcore fan, right? I dunno.

Into It. Over It., The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die, A Great Big Pile of Leaves, SRVVLST

February 27, 2014 • The Basement, Columbus, Ohio

The dreaded two-shows-in-a-row situation! Thank goodness for earplugs or I probably wouldn't be functional today.

SRVVLST

I was pretty excited to see these guys again, as they put on a great show the first time around. I wasn't disappointed here; it was probably a better show, even (it helps that there were maybe two hundred people there instead of a dozen). Not much has changed for them since July, and they were still playing some of the same emo-math-rock material, but their performance skills have definitely gotten better since. Special props to the drummer who is amazing to watch, especially his seemingly-magical double-kick patterns he does with only one foot.
8 • Best Poster of a Tattooed Japanese Dude Award

A Great Big Pile of Leaves

I am of two minds about this set. One one hand, this band played well—their performance was good, nice energy and delivery, all that. On the other hand, I don't like their songs at all. It's pretty generic indie rock, more or less, the really happy-feel-good kind (they sound exactly like their name implies). Definitely not my type of thing, and I couldn't get invested in their music whatsoever. I guess there were plenty of people around who were big into them so it's just me. Oh well.
5 • Biggest Bros Award

The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die

The other band I came to see, and they didn't disappoint either. Admittedly, TWIaBP has a sound that I think works much better in the studio than it does on stage, as their huge, dense post-rock approach doesn't work quite as effectively when you're trying to cram everyone together into a live setting—especially when you have three guitars and lots of vocals to arrange (consequently, for example, the snyth was totally inaudible). But regardless they have the songs to make up for that, and they performed them well and I had a good time. They did a great job playing their newer material and the new spoken word / drone stuff was actually pretty neat, too. Definitely worth seeing.
8 • Most Vocalists (Seriously Five Is Too Many) Award

Into It. Over It.

I'd never heard this guy before either, so I went in without expectations; fortunately it turned out much better than the Leaves did. I was pleasantly surprised by this set, even though it too is normally not really my thing. Kind of an emo-pop-singer-songwriter-indie-rock mishmash; a good mix of soft intimate songs and louder, punkier ones, with some good songwriting across the board. It was a bit too vocal-heavy for me but I guess that comes with the territory (and there were plenty of good instrumental parts to make up for that). Not an artist I'd make too big of an effort to see again, but it was still a fine experience.
7 • He's Right, Red Velvet Is Bullshit Award

You Blew It! – Keep Doing What You're Doing

January 14, 2014 • Topshelf Records

You Blew It! has never really been my favorite of the modern emo revival bands; my opinion of their previous album was a bit middling though I was excited to hear this one. However, I'm not sure if I'm as excited as I was on the first listen, though the album is definitely far from bad.

Sonically, there's really not a lot to say about this release. Compared to Grow Up, Dude, the twinkly-midwest elements have been toned down a lot for more standard distorted-guitar rock riffing—with a few nice exceptions—though with a similar level of aggression (that is, not a whole lot of it). Still, there are some great catchy bits like "Gray Matter" and "Award of the Year Award", and a lot of nice uplifting moments like "House Address and "Rock Springs". Though it's not particularly unique, I think the change in sound suits them well enough.

On the other hand, I can't help but feel that this album seems like a product of a band just kind of going through the motions (just how significant is that album title, anyway?). Comparatively speaking, there doesn't seem to be as much emotion and passion going on... not so say there's none (the last two tracks are nice standouts), but sometimes the band just feels a bit flat. For example, I feel like "You & Me & Me" could have been a great song, but it sounds like everyone had just woken up when they recorded it.

Then again, I have been saturating myself with music like this lately (and so has the scene in general, as it's been taking off), so I don't want to entirely blame You Blew It! for my lukewarm reception. They do have the misfortune of releasing this at the same time a bunch of other great records are coming out (like the new Sport), for what that's worth. But I still think this album could have been better. Again—it's not bad, not at all. Let's hope it's a step towards something great.

Sport – Bon Voyage

January 1, 2014 • self-released

Midwest emo left its roots and crossed the Atlantic quite a few years ago, but it's still really cool to hear bands from other countries grabbing onto the style and playing it as if it were first nature. French band Sport's debut Colors is great but they're definitely hitting on something special with its followup. Bon Voyage is the first (and, so far, only) record from 2014 I've heard. If it's at all indicative of how this year is going to go for emo (let alone music in general), color me damn excited.

Sport does the genre in a fairly standard style but with a slightly harder edge to it—heavier post-hardcore-influenced drumming, lots of stop-start rhythms, strained gang vocals, a delicious grindy bass sound. There's a lot of different things going on to keep the sound fresh, too; just in "André the Giant" you have this fast screamo-style beat that shifts to this more introspective, tame sound. It all fits together quite well. Even the album's construction itself is a bit crazy as the songs flow right into each other and the passion with which they play barely lets up.

True, they aren't bringing anything fresh to the scene on this album. The slightly math-rock guitar lines and twinkly riffs and spastic arrangements are all nothing new. But the way Sport plays, the catchiness and the raw intensity and emotion, it all strikes that part of my brain in just the right way that sends shivers through me. The math-rock lines are moving and triumphant. Those twinkly riffs are so intricate and beautiful. It's full of those moments where something just clicks and I get enraptured and can't do anything but sit there and listen.

It goes to show how far this scene has come and how well it's been tweaked and refined over just the last couple of years into something than can consistently wow me. I don't really think this will be near my top albums of this upcoming year, but even if it did I wouldn't be mad.

Inferni333 – I'm Still the Doctor

September 1, 2013 • self-released

Inferni333 is an acoustic-indie-rock band from Missouri. They also have an unhealthy obsession with Dr. Who.

Standard folk rock tropes apply (drums, acoustic guitar, bass, vocals) and the instrumentation is quite well-done. The drumming especially stands out as the EP's strongest point, and there are some good guitar moments as well (in the songs' intros, mostly).

But the songwriting itself is a bit simplistic and unchallenging; even with the short-ish runtimes it is all too easy to get bogged down in the repetition (especially "Death of the Ninth Doctor", which is the same four bars for over five minutes). Props for the string ensemble bits, like on "Bad Wolf", for mixing things up, though. I also can't get over the incredibly cheesy lyrics either, but then again maybe I'm just taking this way too seriously.

For what it is, this EP isn't bad. It's not really my style of music so I don't feel like I really should be any authority of whether it's any good or not. That being said, it's still free to listen to all over the place, so it's easy to decide for yourself.

Messrs, Total Trash, Hop Along, Goners

September 14, 2013 • Ace of Cups, Columbus, Ohio

Goners

Finally got to catch these guys after missing their set at the Family Curse show. Relatively standard garage punk, but it was definitely more fun than your average garage stuff. Simple but with a good amount of variance over the set, and entertaining to watch.
7 • Only the Second-Most Trashed Cymbal I've Seen Award

Hop Along

The surprise of the night. Aside from a few exceptions, normally I'm not really into indie pop / indie rock, so Hop Along is kind of out of my comfort zone. But I have to say that they really drew me in right from the start. Their music is really poppy, but in a good, uplifting way that also isn't afraid to get a little bit intense now and again, like the half-time slow-burning outro to their final song. Really great playing all around, especially the fantastic vocal performance. Good stuff.
8 • Most Coordinated Shoes Award

And then, almost everyone left. I guess Hop Along was the big act of the night. I can't imagine how shitty it must feel to know people paid to get into your show but they don't care enough about you to bother to stick around. I guess in this case, though, I can kind of understand because the next two bands were pretty different from the first.

Total Trash

The best phrase I could think of for Total Trash was "slacker hardcore". Relatively simple, yet pretty fast and intense, punk. Normally that kind of music would be right up my alley but Total Trash in particular came off as nothing particularly special. It probably didn't help that they were almost unintelligible—mostly the vocals, but the guitar riffs were a bit of a blur too—making them hard to follow and not particularly engaging. That's not to say they were horrible, though; maybe I wasn't just in the right mood or something.
5 • Most Effective Playing on the Floor Award

Messrs

Another extreme-hardcore band, this one local. Sort of a cross between old-school '80s-style punk rhythms with modern powerviolence and noisecore style. Unfortunately, also like Total Trash, I couldn't really get into them at all. Maybe it's just that, even though I normally like hardcore, I don't particularly like seeing it live. But Messrs simply wasn't appealing to me. A lot of their set seemed like they were just messing around—I guess that's partly a result of the extremely (and I mean extremely) dissonant and amelodic guitar style, which really turned me off. Oh well.
5 • Best Nail Polish Award

You Blew It! – Grow Up, Dude

April 24, 2012 • Topshelf Records

Do I even need to review this one? Another midwest emo album (from Topshelf, of course); this one came out last year. Was there a chance it wouldn't be good? Okay, maybe a small chance, but it doesn't matter. If you're even remotely in love with this kind of music as I am, this is worth a spin.

The band names and song titles seem to get sillier and sillier, but the songs are just as good. It's twinkly, complex clean guitar verses typical to the genre, paired with slightly-more aggressive choruses reminiscent of some Japandroids moments. I even hear some glockenspiel in there on "Medal of Honor" (I think?); very cool. It's also helpful that the vocalist has a voice that is actually pretty nice to listen to—while I can appreciate the horrible out-of-tune vocals of some bands, it gets old after a while.

Admittedly, it doesn't have quite the staying power as a lot of similar recent albums—the tracks aren't really as memorable as Arrows in Her or Have Mercy or even Old Gray, but even the not-as-good ones have their merits (and don't go on too long as to be hard to listen to).

Anyway, there's plenty of great songs and an overall really good sound that mostly stands up with all the other great albums that I've been spinning lately.

7

Dirk Frazel – Randy's Bacon

June 17, 2013 • self-released

This blog is quickly becoming The Place For Reviews Of Emo Bands On Bandcamp. Not that I have a problem with that; more good stuff for me to listen to. Today's entry is ultra-DIY band Dirk Frazel, whose style is pretty typical emo, though it's quite good stuff.

These are catchy tunes; the band pulls out one or two neat rhythms and riffs in each song. There are some complex and interesting guitar lines, and the music is relatively aggressive compared to most "twinkly" stuff (probably due to the guitar distortion). The drumming is really neat as well—very expressive and interesting for this kind of music. My biggest problem with this EP is definitely the vocals, which are really poorly-done. On the other hand, you can't even hear them 90% of the time since they're so buried in the mix. (To me, this seems like a bad case of self-consciousness. Don't worry, you'll get better!)

All in all, a fun little release by a band that is showing some promise (as long as they smooth out those vocals). Here's to hoping we hear something new by them soon.

6

SRVVLST, Peace Be Still, Maumelle, Prize the Doubt

July 5, 2013 • The Summit, Columbus, Ohio

It was a bit weird to learn that The Summit is actually distinct from Café Bourbon St.—two equally tiny, grimy bars sharing the same building. Can't say it's not good for an emo show, though. While this was probably the lowest-attended show I've been to yet (top five, at least), I gotta say it was a pretty good time.

Prize the Doubt

These guys were really interesting for sure. It was a weird combination of dissonant screamo and hard-as-shit metalcore, with the occasional grindcore and post-rock segue thrown in. I thought they were too weird to enjoy at first, but they really grew on me during their set. Performance was middling, but the music was very neat. Worth seeing.
7 • Best Power Stances Award

Maumelle

I've got conflicting opinions on Maumelle. First off, the music is awesome—kind of typical midwest emo, with the stereotypical twinkly guitar (albeit very well-done, some really great licks) and excellent songwriting. The vocals seemed really out-of-place though, nothing but full-on screams the whole time; it was a weird juxtaposition that didn't make a lot of sense to me. It didn't bother me enough to not enjoy the hell out of the band, though.
7 • Best Mullet Award (aka Worst Mullet Award)

Peace Be Still

Even though Peace Be Still had probably the most generic sound of all the bands that played, they were still quite good in their own way. Horrible vocals, but in the satisfying emo way; well-played guitar and drums; above-average bass grooving (probably one of the better parts of their sound). I could have done without the between-song "stories" or whatever. Still, good stuff.
7 • Most Frequent Unnecessary Tuning Award

SRVVLST

These guys had a much more math-rock oriented sound, kind of like an emo Battles, with a similar focus on instrumentals instead of vocals. Lots of 5/8 time and things like that, which was a nice change of pace. The complexity made for a slightly sloppy performance, though, but I guess that is understandable. I did really enjoy how for their last song, they invited everyone up on stage (maybe a dozen of us) to watch. It was a very cool experience, definitely they show's highlight; made everything seem a lot more special. Recommended.
7 • Best Fingertapping Award

Prawn – You Can Just Leave It All

June 14, 2011 • Topshelf Records

If they keep making good emo revival albums, I'm gonna keep making reviews. Of course there is the issue of quickly running out of things to say when many of these albums are pretty similar, even if they're good, so I'm not entirely sure what to say about You Can Just Leave It All aside from... well, it's another pretty good emo revival album.

So there isn't a lot to say about their sound; Prawn mixes in that modern heavy post-rock style with complex, twinkly guitars and some highly melodic (but not terribly emotive) vocals. The writing itself is quite good, with very driving, purposeful melodies—few similar albums have such catchy songs to them, and most songs have at least one good hook that makes them stand out.

I am a bit disappointed that, aside from the superb guitar work, the rest of the instrumentation is a bit lackluster. It's neat to hear the occasional glockenspiel and stuff like that, but the bass and drums aren't nearly as exciting as they should be, and the guitar has to carry the whole thing. It makes the music feel a little one-dimensional, though the good songwriting and multiple guitar layers help make up for that.

And there is the unfortunate fact that Prawn has been overshadowed (in my mind) by quite a few other similar artists lately, so while I do think this album is pretty good, there are others that basically direct upgrades of this one. But I guess I'm not going to say no to more of a good thing.

7

Topbunk – Springlake Pharmacy

November 28, 2012 • Ex Novo Collective

No matter how much (or little) you are into a particular genre (or, heck, music in general), at no point should you stop and think to yourself, "Well, I have a couple of records I really like; seems like a pretty good canon, might as well stop here." Because you'll always be wrong.

Case in point: Topbunk's Springlake Pharmacy, which I was expecting to be just another nondescript amateur emo album. Well, it is a bit amateur, but really, isn't that true of all truly good emo? The band's sound leans a bit toward the indie-garage rock sound of bands like Japandroids, with strained vocals, gritty production, and simple arrangements. Of course, it's the songwriting which skyrockets Topbunk near the top of my list; even with such simple melodies (which can be considered maybe a bit cliché at this point), the band pulls it off really well. And even though the singer's voice cracks often, guitars are sometimes sloppily played, etc., it all gives the EP that charm it needs to still succeed.

Okay so maybe it's a bit of a niche release, and a lot of what I'm saying really is just stuff that appeals to me personally (well, obviously). But this band shows a lot of promise if they can keep up the momentum, and I'm happy to have discovered yet another modern emo band I can enjoy as much as I do.

7

The Appleseed Cast, Muscle Worship, Ease the Medic, The End of the Ocean

April 17, 2013 • Kobo Live, Columbus, Ohio

Just another Columbus rock show, nothing terribly spectacular. Although The Appleseed Cast is apparently a much more popular band than I was aware of. Not that that's a bad thing, but there's little to be said for an overcrowded, tiny venue like Kobo was. Still an enjoyable show, I suppose.

The End of the Ocean

A local post-rock band, the sort of emotive crescendocore in the vein of Explosions in the Sky with more compelling songwriting, better riffs, and a slightly heavier feel. One of those sets where nobody else in the audience really seemed to care (they were all asleep most of the whole show anyway), but I quite enjoyed them. Lots of energy for this sort of band, and fun to watch even for an instrumental band.
8 • Tiniest Keyboard Award (Although This Moment in Black History's Might Have Been Smaller, It's Hard to Say)

Ease the Medic

Another local band, this time with a more emo-meets-post-hardcore sound, a bit like Brand New with a poppy and emotive edge. While their songwriting and riffs were a bit generic, leaving not a whole lot to say about them, they definitely weren't bad. Outstanding bass work, as well, especially considering it was the bassist's first show with the band.
6 • I Honestly Can't Think of Any Single Award

Muscle Worship

I quite liked this act as well; they have a sound reminiscent of Bear vs. Shark (apparently I can only come up with comparisons to describe this whole show) with more of a garage rock/math rock feel to it. (As I'll never see BvS live, this is probably as good as I'll get.) Special props to the drummer, who was especially talented and had a really neat complex style. At this point, the show started to get too loud to the point where things were sounding muddy (especially the bass)—not sure if that was Kobo's fault or what—so I didn't enjoy them quite as much as I should have. Still a good set, though.
7 • Best Use of Pedal Loops Award

The Appleseed Cast

Apparently it's been a while since I listened to this band, because I definitely don't remember them being so much post-rock and so little midwest-emo. Not that they're bad, but there were definitely some bits that dragged on and on, especially the instrumental pieces (then again, I was really tired by this point). The older tracks (e.g. the encore ones that everyone seemed to know) definitely performed better live. Still, a pretty neat show; their music is obviously still quite nice. Clip (warning: shitty vertical video—I saw the person filming this, too, she obviously had no idea what she was doing)
7 • Most Useless Keyboard That They Only Used on Half of One Song Award