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Bad Religion - New Maps of Hell (Deluxe)
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Believe it or not, Sex Positions’ music is even more intriguing than the band’s name. Yeah, in a day and age where many bands sound way too similar, Sex Positions, an act that includes ex-members of Dedication, sound pretty original. A successful chaotic hardcore punk/art-core hybrid, they offer up some intense and urgent music with tons of time changes, electronic noises that are used sporadically in songs like “Worse than the Plague”, “The Dead Lay Very Still”, and “We Already Went Over This”, and inventive dueling guitar parts that keep the listener on his/her toes throughout the entirety of this 11-track self-titled album. The music takes one unexpected turn after another – you really never know what’s coming next, which is partly what makes this disc so exciting.

During most of the album, the vocals are screamed and frantic, almost bordering on disoriented, and in turn, add much to the innate sense of immediacy of Sex Positions’ compositions. The lyrics prove to be quite interesting as well, with lines like these from “Heroes of the Novel”: “Continue to believe everything you read/Continue to believe you really know me/I will never sleep/‘Cause sleep is for the weak.” And they do touch upon the current political trend with “Aphrodite Dear” in particular, and though some lines overtly deal with this topic (“It’s just this fucking king that we’re fighting for/Soldiers fight to win laying ruin to the land”), it’s done for the most part in a not-so-blatant way and written in the context of ancient history (“As the stars align and the gods take flight/The battle rages on”), so it's not so in-your-face political. These sentiments aren’t found much on the record, meaning they don’t become a main focal point.

In any case, some standout tracks are “Sleeping”, which has a crazed, almost confused feel to it especially towards the end with overlapping hectic screams of “It’s all your fault/It’s no one’s fault”; “We Already Went Over This”, which begins with an eerie yet rather beautiful, sedate intro that culminates with some speeded-up, indecipherable distorted, far-away-sounding vocals that initiate the quickening of the tempo and the return of the “normal” screamed vocals; and “Doors Are Harder to Slam in the Summer” is reminiscent of the great DFL (especially during the opening verse) and is one of the only songs that features some clean vocals mixed in with the mostly-ever-present screams. However, the real anomaly on the record is the elaborate, subtle seventh track – an instrumental – that is kind of trippy and is basically just comprised of subdued guitars and minimal percussion topped with odd industrial noises and towards the end, piano.

The last track, the noteworthy “Ruined”, is pretty fast until around the one-minute 15-second mark when things are slowed down and dominated by guitar noise anchored by steady bass and drums, which paves the way for the final, most emotional breakdown of the entire record, and hence, Sex Positions end it all on an incredibly affecting manner.



People who liked this also liked:
The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls in AmericaTexas Is The Reason - Do You Know Who You Are?Lords - SwordsLucero - That Much Further WestLucero - Rebels, Rogues, & Sworn BrothersBrand New - The Devil and God Are Raging Inside MeCave In - JupiterShook Ones - Facetious Folly FeatThis Is Hell - This Is HellSmoking Popes - Destination Failure



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    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, December 19, 2004 at 3:11 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    You probably won't be able to find it on Kazaa
    Try SoulSeek
    Worked for me =)

    Posted by ObeyYourParents on 2004-06-02 02:05:27
    My Score:

    Quite a tasty piece of work. It can drag on at certain points, but it always comes through in the end. I'll be expecting great things from these fellows in the near future.

    I'll even let the blatant rip-off of a Cro-Mags riff, on "Commit It" slide.

    Posted by backupdork on 2004-04-05 12:08:36
    My Score:

    i got "Commit It" a few months ago off of deathwishinc.com, and i loved it. a couple weeks ago i got a few of their demo tracks which were pretty good too. i still haven't picked up this full-length, but i've heard nothing but good things.

    Posted by Jesse on 2004-04-05 11:56:41
    My Score:

    The song Committ It on their website sounds like what Connor Oberst would write if he suddenly developed a mean coke habit.

    I dunno, I wanted to like it, but it just didn't strike me as much as I expected. I think the bass and guitar followed each other too closely.

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, April 4, 2004 at 5:27 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    maps is ok, but its weak how they get a secoind guitarist in there to cover up for the main guitar players inability to write a line strong enough to stand by its lonesome. If your not gonna have a fucking bass player, and only one guitarist, then thats all i better hear on the damn record, or else you just suck at writing/playing your instrument.

    Damn.

    Good review janelle.

    -!greenvandal!

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, April 2, 2004 at 12:21 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    "chaotic hardcore punk/art-core hybrid"

    as soon as i read that i decided that i wont listen to this on a matter of principle.

    JUST BECAUSE YOU USE THE WORD HYBRID AND CORE DOESNT MAKE IT A FUCKING MUSIC GENRE!

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, April 1, 2004 at 3:32 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    cool thanks for putting the right artwork!
    -J

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, April 1, 2004 at 2:10 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    "Ihaven't heard the album but it seems like it sounds like the Yeah Yeah Yeah's minus the female vocals."

    no, it's not like that at all. This album is amazing, seriously - this band is a refreshing breath of air in a world of generic metalcore. The one thing the review should have mentioned is the vocal effects and amazing production. www.sexpos.net - you can download the song "commit it" - the fucking effects are soooo cool. Buy this cd

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, April 1, 2004 at 11:53 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    'Maps' is better than any of that horseshit that The YYYs normally put out.

    This score is for 'Maps', and the hope they do more songs like it.

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, April 1, 2004 at 9:42 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    icapped...i'm truly touched. thank you, sir.
    -J

    Posted by maverick on 2004-04-01 01:46:51
    My Score:

    Regarding the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and "Maps"-

    That song is much too good for that band.

    -Scott

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, April 1, 2004 at 12:57 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    haha the comment below me is great. This rating is for that:

    Posted by Icapped2pac on 2004-03-31 20:28:15
    My Score:

    Despite the fact that I may have called you a fat bitch or something similar in the past, this is a damn good review, Janelle. Makes me want to check them out immediately. Score's for the review.

    Posted by relay1112 on 2004-03-31 18:43:05
    My Score:

    "this album is better than anything the yeah yeah yeahs will ever do"

    Actually, "Maps" is an incredible, I repeat, incredible song. The rest of the album is pretty tiresome, but that one song is one of the best I heard that year.

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, March 31, 2004 at 12:17 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    What ever happened to the Dedication anyway, they were awesome

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 at 9:46 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Is Janelle hot?

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 at 7:28 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    damn, hard to find this music on kazaa, i just keep getting porn audio

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 at 4:33 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    this album is better than anything the yeah yeah yeahs will ever do

    i dont even really like hardcore much but this record is awesome. the review was dead on in saying how unpredictable it is.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 at 3:24 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Ihaven't heard the album but it seems like it sounds like the Yeah Yeah Yeah's minus the female vocals.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 at 12:43 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    i want this.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 at 11:59 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    dfl!!! I miss you!

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 at 10:34 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    fuck your mom you dyke

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 at 10:33 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    i've been listening to this ablum non-stop for the past couple weeks...this is a great review that serves it justice...

    -troy

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 at 10:10 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    did you say tons of time changes!? i'm in!

    Posted by JustinsFanClub on 2004-03-30 09:32:12
    My Score:

    i never got why everyone liked the sex pistols

    Posted by porkpie on 2004-03-30 07:53:13
    My Score:

    i really enjoyed this record. it's definitely worth picking up just to check out the drum sounds/mix. some crazy stuff going on there, for sure.

    -brent

    Posted by maverick on 2004-03-30 01:26:55
    My Score:

    This record is quite good.

    -Scott

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