Emanuel

Emanuel: Soundtrack To A HeadrushSoundtrack To A Headrush (2005)
Vagrant Records

Reviewer Rating: 2

User Rating:

Contributed by: InaGreendaseBrian
(others by this writer | submit your own)
Published on March 15th 2005Listen up motherfuckers, this is that new unheard of, unspoken, so if you're down, then get down, and if you're not, then get the fuck out! What if we're just really indifferent? Emanuel may very well be the first band I've heard to come off like a cross between a poor man's Bronx and a rich man.

Listen up motherfuckers, this is that new unheard of, unspoken, so if you're down, then get down, and if you're not, then get the fuck out!

What if we're just really indifferent?

Emanuel may very well be the first band I've heard to come off like a cross between a poor man's Bronx and a rich man's Senses Fail. That is, to say, the band treads some newfound middle ground between balls-out, throat-ripping rock and the usually repulsive tendencies of melodic nü-screamo; only, they raise the former's accessibility and improve upon the faults of the latter.

After the abovementioned intro - lactating worse than post-labor cattle - we dive into "The Hey Man!," verses containing studio-tricked out screams and a chorus of the super-melodic variety...and you've pretty much got the formula for most of the album. It is, however, pretty explosive and dynamic, as is Its follower, "Buy American Machines." The choruses are all pretty much contemporary fare, but they are in the least fairly infectious and energetic; I'm reminded a lot of Dead Poetic's New Medicines at times, in that sense, especially with a few solid offerings of core-induced rock. Still, most of the album suffers from relatively sub-par songwriting and bland structure, offering interesting moments far and few between. I'd say the standout track is probably the last; "Dislocated" slows things down a bit to shut out the disc, completely screamless and a bit more emotional (for the band and their subsequent sound, anyway). As far as lyrical content goes, I've seen reviews here and there that claim undertones of sexism, but it really isn't anything serious. More or less it's the same silly though unintentional chauvinist attitude leaking from most of their peers.

Plagued by mediocrity via a mildly awkward hybrid of the abovegiven sounds, Emanuel's debut is well-produced and musically competent but sparse in staying power in terms of its presence in your CD player and, if they can't find ways to improve, the physical aspect too.

MP3s
The Hey Man [clip]
The Willing
STREAM
Buy American Machines
The Hotline
The New Violence

Login to rate this album

People who liked this also liked:

Please login or register to post comments.What are the benefits of having a Punknews.org account?

Share your opinion by posting comments on the stories that interest you
Rate music and bands and help shape the weekly top ten
Let Punknews.org use your ratings to help you find bands and albums you might like
Customize features on the site to get the news the way you want.

Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

Anonymous (March 15, 2006)

this album is fucking awesome,and to say their anything like senses fail is shit.this is the only bad review ive seen for the album.You twat.

Anonymous (April 18, 2005)

That line isn't on the copy I bought yesterday.

Anonymous (March 31, 2005)

This CD rocks! It has great sound, great lyrics and gets me down. If you're down, get down and if not, get the **** out.

Anonymous (March 18, 2005)

I haven't actually heard a single note from this record yet, but I'm thinking that if the strongest response to it comes in the form of a conversation about pogs, then it's probably not worth my time.

Also, I have it on good authority that Senses Fail uses a voice modulator at their live shows to keep the singer in tune. From what I've seen, it doesn't work too well.

Anonymous (March 18, 2005)

If you want to title your record "poem to ____" or " song of ____", fine, but soundtrack to anything sounds too pretentious, like your reviewing your own record.

Anonymous (March 17, 2005)

when these guys opened for senses fail last year the tour manager from senses told me that Emanuel looks and sounds like recover. he was right. not better not worse, they just are

swingline (March 17, 2005)

i stopped collecting pictures of dudes playing sports when i was in 5th grade.

Anchors (March 17, 2005)

I've got like 2 thick binders full of baseball cards, two of football, then one each of smaller hockey and basketball.

I could probably make a killing on some of those.

sickboi (March 17, 2005)

Dorks.

Haven't any of you nerds heard of baseball cards?

Anonymous (March 17, 2005)

Magic cards...NOW we are talking.

I always loved ying-yang pogs. All the kids around me were fucking OBSESSED with ying yang pogs, no jokes.

I think my best slammer was called big foot, and it was kinda made half of rubber and half of plastic and i remember it distinctly smelling like bubble gum..........

-!GreenVandal!

jamespastepunk (March 17, 2005)

What colors/cards?

swingline (March 16, 2005)

i sold a trash bag full of pogs for 20 bucks and that was like 7 years ago. i still have magic cards from a long long time ago if anyone is interested.

Anonymous (March 16, 2005)

they obviously should have named the record "Pogs".

Anonymous (March 16, 2005)

This wins the award for WORST ALBUM TITLE EVER. Who the fuck do these guys think they're fooling? That title sounds like it should be on a P.O.D. album or something.

Man, remember the good old days when Hot Rod Circuit was the worst band on Vagrant? These guys make them look like Zeppelin.

Anonymous (March 16, 2005)

hahahaha i love this site. this is the only place in the world where a review of a mediocre emo band would somehow lead to an in-depth discussion about pogs.

Anonymous (March 16, 2005)

Does anyone want to buy my pogs? I have all of Series I and II.

(Pogs "Classic" sucked ass.)

-Chinatown

mjg (March 16, 2005)

wickety-wickety wack!

Chason (March 16, 2005)

*pogs

Chason (March 16, 2005)

i used to get power rangers pongs from McDonald's.

Anonymous (March 16, 2005)

I remember owning quite a few Spawn and Simpsons pogs, a shitty rip off plastic Sonic slammer, and a weighty silver slammer with an outward indention on the bottom... I think I only played the game 4 times.

-BSD

Anonymous (March 16, 2005)

So quick to follow the lead of an album reviewer, behind his desk. Hmm... Anyone read the rolling stone? Alternative press? Ect.. Its an awesome c. D. And youd be a fool not to open your mind to it. It rocks!

theevilmonkey (March 15, 2005)

This album would be really good if didn't suck.

Anonymous (March 15, 2005)

person below me makes me want to DANCE

Anonymous (March 15, 2005)

melodic nü-screamo

ugh wow, you really went way to far in trying to specify a genre. I guess your referring to senses fail, theyre not really nu anything, theyre just a bad band in that genre. I bet you took at least 10 minutes coming up with that stupid term. I don't mind putting bands in genres for certain guides to what they sound like but youre a complete scenester douchebag

anchors (March 15, 2005)

Poison, that's what the cool ones I was thinking of were called. Man, those were sweet.

Anonymous (March 15, 2005)

person BELOW me makes me HORNY
SCORE IS FOR HIM/HE/WHATEVER

Anonymous (March 15, 2005)

pogs are fucking dangerious http://bjo.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/81/4/329c

Anonymous (March 15, 2005)

well the thought of Emanuel makes me want Ryan Seacrest to take a hot diarrhea in my mouth while he punches my stomach.

stevejonestherealbones (March 15, 2005)

i actually won a couple of pog tournaments that were held in comic book shops and got a bunch of trov shit. those dudes from trov running the tournament must of been out of a job like three weeks later when the fad died

- jones the bones

- stevejones8770@yahoo.com

swingline (March 15, 2005)

oh shit! poison... fuck i remember when these armenian assholes introduced me to pogs and they took out a poison slammer and said "poison!" then took all the pogs i had stacked. i had to declare no poisons before every game from that day on. did anyone else play with that bullshit rule? my coolest slammer was the golden "bad boy"

maverick (March 15, 2005)

I used to own so fucking many pogs, it was ridiculous. I had an 8 ball gameboard, a sweet screaming 8-ball slammer, a ton of Simpsons and poison pogs, but no one to play with. Seriously, I don't think I ever played one single game of pogs with anyone.

-Scott

Anonymous (March 15, 2005)

I've got some Alf pogs. Remember Alf ? He's back and in Pog form !

Good review, the album has some memorable moments, but brings nothing new to the table.

inagreendase (March 15, 2005)

The only lyrics that are mentioned in this review aren't even on the cd.

They're on mine, and as far as I know, the advances aren't any different from the actual release. Unless there's information being withheld from me of course.

Anonymous (March 15, 2005)

Hahaha....

I'd love to hear the lead singer scream out that little "get the fuck out" epithet when his band is, oh say, opening a Blood-for-Blood show.

Anonymous (March 15, 2005)

The only lyrics that are mentioned in this review aren't even on the cd.

theundergroundscene (March 15, 2005)

this band is fucking lame

when the singer yells that shit out in the beginning of "the hey man" i just want to be like goddamnit shut up

inagreendase (March 15, 2005)

It's hard to imagine anyone buying this when Vaux albums are still commercially available.

I was actually going to go back and edit this to namedrop Vaux but I figured I'd scattered enough names for one review. Plus I'm probably going to have to mention them anyway in an upcoming Letters Organize review.

ElVaq: We have 55 reviews in queue, and a lot of very postable ones that were submitted even earlier than yours (Circle Jerks DVD, North Lincoln, Amazombies, Dischord comp, DFL, etc.). Yours definitely will see the light of day soon but I can't give an exact date as to when. Probably by end of the month.

Anonymous (March 15, 2005)

And all the while you just know the staff at AP are touching themselves to this record.

Joe

costanza (March 15, 2005)

I for one was really into the Simpsons pogs, but I owned the OJ one and the ying yang/snakes/8ball's too.. Damn, score is for how I thought pogs were going to be my whole life.

Marlon (March 15, 2005)

I'm just sort of surprised you didn't use my quote about this band...

gladimnotemo (March 15, 2005)

Finally, a review week with absolutely no good reviews! I've been waiting forever for this!

Anonymous (March 15, 2005)

when i heard 'the hey man' a long time ago i was looking forword to this. turns out to be incredibly lame. they're not very much fun live either.

ElVaquero (March 15, 2005)

argh, brian, this is what i meant when i asked about the review backed up thing and then stumbled away from my computer. how many reviews are in the queue? envy needs love!

swingline (March 15, 2005)

the "grand slam" was what it was all about. an inch and a half thick. if you hold that bad boy sideways and hit the pogs with the edge of the slammer.... game over.

Anonymous (March 15, 2005)

no, the best pogs ever were the jagged saw blade ones. the best slammer ever was a nice, thick red aluminium one with two finger grooves and a picture of oj on the front. it was glroious. With every throwdown, I'd hit pog jackpot. Those were glorious days.

Anchors (March 15, 2005)

The best pogs had combinations of snakes, 8 balls, and ying-yangs. Kids were all about that shit.

joeg (March 15, 2005)

emanual lewis in webster was out of this world.

Anonymous (March 15, 2005)

emanuel was a great television show

Anonymous (March 15, 2005)

The Hey Man is obnoxious.

Anonymous (March 15, 2005)

It's hard to imagine anyone buying this when Vaux albums are still commercially available.

OC

stevejonestherealbones (March 15, 2005)

haha. i still have pogs somewhere

- jones the bones

- stevejones8770@yahoo.com

stevejonestherealbones (March 15, 2005)

hey man is kind of a catchy song..ok just by itself...but the rest of this crap is the sucky McSucks alot

- jones the bones

- stevejones8770@yahoo.com

swingline (March 15, 2005)

oh and score is for the cover art. reminds me of a slammer (pogs).

swingline (March 15, 2005)

"hey man" was kinda cool 3 years ago. this shit reminds me of glassjaw. puke