Title: Do You Know Who You Are?
Artiste: Texas is the Reason
Genre: Emo/Hardcore
Familiarity: Zero
Recommended by: bob
Expectations: Hardcore has not been kind to me, emo perhaps marginally moreso. Bob let me down with his last rec so I don't know: perhaps redemption is on the horizon?
1. Johnny on the spot: Good rocking start anyway; some hardcore vocals are way too screamy for me but these seem just fine. Good stuff; nothing terribly special I'll say at this point, but enjoyable certainly. Lot of energy.
2. The magic bullet theory: Again, it's okay but it's not making me want to drop a Green.
3. Nickel wound: Started off in an interesting kind of low-key way, built on a rather nice melody. Yeah, it's okay.
4. There's no way I can talk myself out of this one tonight (The drinking song): Pretty damn long title! Again a nice slow buildup then sort of swings along with some pretty powerful guitar. Okay, this one can have a Green. Best so far of a pretty meh lot.
5. Something to forget: Unfortunately, the title is appropriate. I can't remember the track once it ends.
6. Do you know who you are: Okay now this is special. Is this an instrumental? Really effective use of different guitars, very introspective in tone. Like this one a lot.
7. Back and to the left: This isn't bad either; has some personality and character about it. Throw a Green on this one too.
8. The day's refrain: Yeah, it's kind of getting better now as it goes towards the end. Really nice vocal here and a good melody, not so acerbic as some of the opening tracks. Gets pretty spectacular in the last minute or so.
9. A Jack with one eye: And a good powerful, and indeed memorable, closer.
End result: Started really badly. Not badly, but unremarkably let's say, then I began to warm to it and by the end I could see the attraction. Still wouldn't be too interested in going any further with the band, or even possibly replaying this, but not a waste of my time, as it seldom is with bob.
So, Love or Hate? Thought I would be doing well to stretch to a Like, but hell, I'm giving this a
Love.