In the beginning of the 21st century, I was in a post hardcore band with some high school friends. The three of us had some pretty different tastes–I had a strong bias toward melodic emo like Further Seems Forever and the Juliana Theory, Travis’ tastes were for almost purely punk bands like Flogging Molly and Against Me, and Seth had a soft spot for nu-metal a mile wide. But there was one album that none of us could get enough of: In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 by Coheed and Cambria. This disc joined Thrice’s Artist in the Ambulance and Thursday’s War All the Time to form the triumvirate of albums we all played on repeat.
About nine years ago, a Pedro the Lion fanatic named Calvin added me on MySpace because I looked a little like Aaron Weiss from mewithoutYou (this is true). We became friends through many an AIM chat (nine years ago, remember?) where we discovered that we were both songwriters with a penchant for emo-tinged acoustic music. I was striking out on a solo project after the dissolution of my high school post-hardcore band, he had just started playing Bazan-esque tunes under the name The Foxery. Over time, the Foxery added members and influences until this year when they got signed to Spartan Records and released the emo record of the year, which is no small task in the year that brought the emo revival no one knew we needed.
I should be forthcoming: Sunny Day Real Estate is one of my favorite bands ever. I mean ever. And it’s been that way eleven years. The first time I heard Radiohead (who now bears the same distinction) I thought “his voice sounds a bit like Jeremy.” When mewithoutYou (another all time favorite) released a song with Jeremy on guest vocals, I wept real tears. I spent more than is reasonable for vinyl copies of How it Feels to be Something On and The Rising Tide (which my dog ate the day I got it). I have been pushing hard for vinyl reissues of World Waits and The Fire Theft.
So why did it take me five years to listen to his third proper solo record? Well, I really don’t know.
Time for another confession: I never listened to American Football until this year.
Chris Simpson, mastermind of The Gloria Record, started out as the lead singer of everyone’s favorite Sunny Day Real Estate tribute band (fight me). When Mineral broke up, he grabbed a couple guys and started making the same sort of slow, cascading guitar music. Continue reading
Hide Nothing gets a lot of crap. And true, I only bought it as a packaged deal with the other two Further Seems Forever. But listening to it again has reminded me of when I was a senior in high school trying to convince my friends that this album actually was worth the time.
Hipster punk that I am, I have long been of the opinion that the first album is always best (Radiohead cured me of that). My view of Further Seems Forever back in my emo days was that Chris and FSF put together one perfect record, parted ways, and limped on without the other. And while it’s true that the first incarnation of the group was a wonderful, singular thing, it is far from the only worthwhile version. Further Seems Forever, mark II is a harsher beast, making its loudest statements during hard hitting rockers, like the title track opener, Against My Better Judgment, Pride War, etc.
I never thought I would write this post.
I have looked for this record for years, passing it up because of the price, hoping that their (ill-advised) reunion would bring a reissue with it. Then, Tooth and Nail Records was bought by big bad EMI Christian, dashing any hopes of T&N reissues against the rocks. Continue reading
On their second full length, Fugazi decided to keep control of the boards to themselves. The way they tell the story, none of them wanted to offend any of their bandmates by turning their parts down or suggesting second takes, resulting in a very democratic mix and a very safe album.