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Epitaph Records -- Millencolin

Trophy Scars

Hospital Music For the Aesthetics of Language
2004
Self-Released

Trophy Scars - Hospital Music For the Aesthetics of Language (Cover Artwork)


Review by: Brian
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Published on February 20th 2004

Wow.

If you're going to even mention The Beatles in your press release, you damn well better be able to back it up. Although Trophy Scars sound nothing like five prominent godfathers of pop music, they indeed back it up, and then some.

This band takes the softest elements of early-90s screamo, Bright Eyes's half-drunken, melancholic ramblings, the shrieks and "ba da da da"s coming from an unexpected speaker of any Blood Brothers song, and spin them in a fucking blender like they were Julia Child. If you're requesting a genre, post-hardcore seems to be the best fit - but it would be unfair to both the band and the genre. Call it whatever you want, call it collect for all I care - I'm calling it "the art of hype sucking me in like a black hole."

Looking for verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus out? Forget it; take your search elsewhere. These songs know no structure. "There Are Ghosts" is a minute-long, piano-key dominated intro that sounds exactly like Conor Oberst is at the helms of, until towards the end when a confession of the ghouls' presence are subsequently acted out by literal screams of "there're ghosts!". As does every track together, it seamlessly flows into "Designed Like Dice (Crickets in Tune)," with a snappy, staccato snare and a slight alliteration use of the letter 's.' Textured, cake-layered shouts capture the mood throughout the entire length of the eclectic EP. Certain things happen that are much less random than they sound. Three and a half minutes into "...And That's Where They Found My Body," a jazzy, lounge-styled keyboard sneaks in under the screams, but it's just plain groovy at that one point.

The difference between this and four and a half stars is marginal, a difference that will likely be made up by the inevitable full-length. How they're still unsigned is beyond me.

Highly recommended.

STREAM
"Designed Like Dice (Crickets in Tune)"
"Sleep Little Nemo -- the Kidnapping"


E-CARD



People who liked this also liked:
Trophy Scars - Goodnight AlchemyAt The Drive-In - Relationship Of CommandThursday - A City by the Light DividedTrophy Scars - Alphabet. Alphabets.Against Me! - As The Eternal CowboyCircle Takes The Square - As The Roots UndoGatsbys American Dream - Gatsbys American DreamGatsbys American Dream - In the Land of Lost MonstersThe Lawrence Arms - Apathy and ExhaustionKane Hodder - The Pleasure To Remain So Heartless



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    Posted by dodger on 2007-09-11 19:05:12
    My Score:

    How they're still unsigned is beyond me.

    I have a theory...

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, November 4, 2005 at 10:45 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    these guys make my life, and insiring they are to me and my past...they are the greatest fucking band ive ever heard..to me they are a mix of the blood brothers and the beatles

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, November 3, 2005 at 9:54 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    this band is so fuckin awsome.....its one of my favorit bands ever......great voice, great music...who ever isnt listening to them then your gay...

    jason

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, October 26, 2005 at 8:37 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    man i love this band.. its so strange, cuz my best friend samantha jones is jerrys(the leadsinger) little sister, and ive actually met him a couple of times... soo definately top score ;)

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, November 16, 2004 at 4:11 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    amazing get it now

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, May 29, 2004 at 9:31 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    strong band, with fast meaningful lyrics, worth a journey to see.
    LaLa

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, May 29, 2004 at 9:29 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    awesome

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, May 15, 2004 at 3:47 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    This band is teh fucking roolz.

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, April 15, 2004 at 11:04 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    my liking of this band started as passive, i definetly considered them better than most of the other bands in their genre ("whine-core"), but i didnt think much of it. after awhile though i found myself just playing the songs over and over in my head, especially the line "repeat, until we beleive that this is the life that we lead". i kept coming back to this damn e-card that they had. then i finally just bought the fucking album. is this genre overdone? yes. is Trophy Scars really damn good though? yes.

    -benz

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 26, 2004 at 11:26 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Jerry is my lover.

    - P.K.C.

    Posted by ElVaquero on 2004-02-23 23:59:23
    My Score:

    yeah, i've seen little nemo in slumberland, that's what i thought of when i saw the song title. you are all crazy.

    this sounds pretty great to me... i'm getting a huge early as friends rust vibe off of this, so that means i buy it when payday comes around (monday!). good review greenie, i liked it, and i thank you for showing me this band. mission: completed.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, February 23, 2004 at 7:09 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    deffently one of the best albums i have ever listened too. they deffently do suck me in like a black hole

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, February 23, 2004 at 9:34 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    This score is for your use of the word "alliteration", and the actual alliteration leading up to said word. English teachers rock...

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, February 23, 2004 at 9:15 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    (sorry about the errors)

    -DaDrunkSkunk

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, February 23, 2004 at 9:14 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    wow

    whoever said the beatles wer4e overrated is a fucking moron that does not know good music....

    shut up and never return to this site again you souless devil, devoid of all musical integrituy. You reprobate!

    fuck off! (dont ever say the beatles are overated, ever again, god dammit!)

    -DaDrunkSkunk

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, February 23, 2004 at 2:05 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    the singer told me that the song "sleep little nemo - the kidnapping!" was based on a old comic called "Little Nemo in Slumberland". Not the fish movie. this cd is maybe the best cd this year. and despite any comparisons this band doesnt sound like anyone i have ever heard. word.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, February 23, 2004 at 12:27 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    trophy scars rocks it

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, February 22, 2004 at 5:38 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    I knew the lead singer in high school, he was such an awesome frail funny hardcore kid. I can hardly go a day without listening to "sleep little nemo", can't wait to see em live.
    Five stars definitely.

    Posted by t-rav on 2004-02-22 07:52:16
    My Score:

    Who else thinks this sounds like This day forward's "In response"?

    It's good...but it's being done to death..........

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, February 21, 2004 at 1:34 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Fell asleep watching 'Finding Nemo' last night. What I saw wasn't bad, but I never thought it would infect a hardcore singer's soul like that. Showed me, I guess.
    These guys aren't bad, but what the hell are they doing citing the Beatles in their press release. They don't sound anything like the Beatles and chances are a majority of Beatles fans wouldn't be swayed to hardcore by these guys.
    On the other hand, I like the Beatles and hardcore. But these guys are nothing special.

    --Bing Crosby

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, February 21, 2004 at 12:41 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    This band takes the softest elements of early-90s screamo, Bright Eyes's half-drunken, melancholic ramblings, the shrieks and "ba da da da"s coming from an unexpected speaker of any Blood Brothers song, and spin them in a fucking blender like they were Julia Child. If you're requesting a genre, post-hardcore seems to be the best fit - but it would be unfair to both the band and the genre. Call it whatever you want, call it collect for all I care - I'm calling it "the art of hype sucking me in like a black hole."

    shit.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, February 21, 2004 at 12:40 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    after having read the first couple lines of your review, i decided that i dont want to listen to this record, ever.
    i also stopped reading your moronic, babbling review.
    this is score is for you, with a ten for me and any one who agrees.

    Posted by inagreendase on 2004-02-21 09:09:18
    My Score:

    "...only 4 Beatles..."

    Yeah, I included George Martin because the press release did.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, February 21, 2004 at 12:44 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    am i the only person who think the beatles are fucking overrated?

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, February 20, 2004 at 11:26 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    ...only 4 Beatles...

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, February 20, 2004 at 9:30 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    trophy scars are amazing. and they put on a hell of a show too.

    Posted by DFelon204409 on 2004-02-20 20:37:34
    My Score:

    This album is realy great. This band has really mastered "the moment." Bands like Tool and Dredg both know when to crescendo and decrescendo, which makes really captivating and engulfing songs. Trophy Scars is no where near the same genre as those bands but they show off the same skill. "Sleep Little Nemo - The Kidnapping" is a great song. They show the skill I mentioned really well on this because they vary the beat a lot so you get incredibly energized and invigorated during the punk beat but then they slow down and get really punchy and cool during the other parts.

    Posted by tyroneshoelaces on 2004-02-20 20:13:52
    My Score:

    This is a fucking sweet disc, I heard Mike Patton had a little of something to do with this. This is a relief from some shit that is come out lately, Sleep Little Nemo is a great tune that has been spun many times the past week.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, February 20, 2004 at 7:38 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Wait, so every track seamlessly flows into "Designed Like Dice (Crickets in Tune)"?

    Posted by Jesse on 2004-02-20 18:50:17
    My Score:

    A) Jason Tate sucks
    B) This is too whiney

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, February 20, 2004 at 5:29 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    This band is the new reason I'm still breathing.

    -Jason Tate