Isbjørn

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GuD

This was one of my favorite albums of 2013. Great stuff imo. I'll start this off since I suggested it I guess.

Grainy, heavy guitar tones that switch back and forth from being sludgy and riffy to being noisy and shoegazey. Vocals shift from being introspective and groaning to being cathartic screams and yelps. One of the opening riffs reminds me of a Cap'n Jazz song and in another song they get a little Jawbreaker-esque with a heavy distorted spoken vocal sample buried under those grainy guitar tones. I like the tremolo-laden instrumental bits that calm everything down for a little while before things kick back up again- the use of familiar chords and patterns really help tie them in with the other tracks. Lyrically, the album seems to be about feeling alienated and not living up to one's own expectations/being disappointed. Some drift into slightly more surreal territory with some interesting imagery and more metaphysical themes.


Favorite Tracks: Souvenir, Into Your Hands, The Dreamers, Pt. Dume. The only tracks that were kinda meh for me where Behave and Window Grey.

All in out I think it's a solid album. I think the first thing I said about it was that it's not explicitly emo but you can definitely hear some emo and related genres (I hear a bit of post-rock ala Mogwai in there) mixed in with the shoegaze and gloomy post-punk bits. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who's a fan of darker, artsy, and more introspective punk/indie music. It's definitely something different in a sea of bands that just wanna be Cap'n Jazz.

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I spit bullets in my feet
Every time I speak
So I write instead
And still people want me dead
~msc

Mondo Bungle

It better be the sickest

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Moss

Got to hear some of this on Plug thanks to Briks. Definitely made me want to hear more of it.

Isbjørn

Oh, it was.

The previous album was twinkly and Cap'n Jazz-ish. This album, though not exclusively emo, was what I think Manky meant when he said that emo needed to go in new directions. Imagine the sound and progressiveness of post-punk mixed with the expression and lyrical themes of emo, and you're pretty close to what this album sounds like.

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Mondo Bungle

I listened to it, it's good.

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butthead aka 216

I listened to half of it really late last night, but I was feeling tired and wanted to give it a proper chance. So I am going to relisten tonight and see what I think. Nothing really blew me away with the first few songs from what I remember.

Goofle

I'll try and listen to this before the end of the week.

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butthead aka 216

Not that it really applies to this thread, but over some time my opinion of Brave Bird's album has got worse. I listened to it again yesterday and really didn't enjoy it like I did the first time.

Anyways, I wasn't a gigantic fan of Over Again. The band kind of reminds me of a 80's or 90's alternative band for some reason, and I tend to hate that sound.

Isbjørn

Same here. I loved it when I first heard it, but now I have no big desire to put it on again. It's like a watered-down version of any other math emo band.

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