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After locking myself in my office with this
album I am forced to ask myself, "What do I want to know about
silence?" I want to know what it sounds like. That's what
I want to know. Everybody seems to be praising this album.
Let's get right to it. It's loud, yes. The band is pretty
talented when they want to show it, and vocalist Daryl Palumbo's
vocal stylings are schizophrenic (think Mike Patton mixed
with a bit of System of a Down). It's irritating and it makes
my gums bleed.
The band seems to be competing with Palumbo
to stay in front. He overpowers them most of the time. While
they are not offensive I'm not really blown away by them.
The percussion almost seems lost in the background. "Pretty
Lush" is pretty standard-sounding hardcore with a melodic
interlude. The heavier "Siberian Kiss" is pretty cool sounding
from a musical standpoint, but the vocal antics are nearly
laughable. The guitars get a cool treatment on "When One Eight
Becomes Two Zeros" On this cut though, Palumbo shows that
he can sing and he sounds like he can sing. He can sing real
pretty. "You got a pretty voice boy--Squeal like a pig." and
he proceeds to. On most of the album he sings like Mike Patton
channeling Ned Beaty's "Deliverance" character. "Ry Ry's Song"
falls flat on its face. I was bored by now for sure. If this
is the new face of emo-core my hopes are being dashed. "Hurting
and Shoving" is the most promising cut on the album. It's
relentless and focused. There's a tender moment or two as
well. "Majour" sounds like, well, half of the songs on the
album. Stop your bitching and whining Daryl and act like you
got a pair.
I can't leave this on a sour note because
I am positive they would put on an explosive live show but
trapping this band in a CD seems to be cruelly limiting. I
would really like to hear this band produced in a way that
would illustrate the heavier aspects of their music and see
if Palumbo can channel his seemingly boundless energy in a
more focused direction, because as it stands now it's not
all that listenable.
--Chadbo
Track Listing:
1. Pretty Lush
2. Siberian Kiss
3. When One eight Becomes Two Zero
4. Ry Ry's Song
5. Lovenites and Razorlines
6. Hurting and Shoving (She Should Have Let Me Sleep)
7. Majour
8. Her Middle Name was Boom
9. Piano
10. Babe
11. Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence
12. Motel of the White Locust
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Glassjaw
