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Stutterfly

And We Are Bled Of Color (2005)
Warner Music Group

Reviewer Rating:

Contributed by: Anchors
(others by this writer | submit your own)

Published on June 28th 2005

Oh boy. Just upon reading the press sheet, I knew that I was in for a real treat with this one. “After becoming a local sensation with their blend of emo and anger, they set out on their own…” Now, correct me if I’m making this up, but emo was angry. You’d be hard pressed to tell me that any 14-year-old girls were sitting in their rooms crying while listening to Embrace or Rites Of Spring. Alas, the term “emo” has been relegated to defining the non-hardcore half of Victory’s roster and Senses Fail, amongst whom Stutterfly fit right along side.

Oddly enough, though, at times, as much as I want to trash the hell out of this, I find myself...somewhat liking it. During some of the low key moments, I find vocalist Chris Stickney sounding more like former Further Seems Forever singer Jason Gleason more than anything. The song titles lean towards downright atrocious, with “Burnt Memories,” “Silent Scream,” and “Gun In Hand” among others, but the songs themselves are very well-crafted, with tight vocal harmonies, thick but slicing guitars, and tight drumming. Everything about this release, from the lyrics to the cover art, scream horribly derivative, but it’s just not bad music. The lyrical content is pretty junior high, as is expected, and whereas that immediately turns me off nine times out of 10, it’s not bothering me with this release.

Where And We Are Bled Of Color does fall into some trouble is with the diversity of the individual songs found here. Because there really isn’t much. Songs like “Dead Eyes ” offer up some interesting guitar-work, good drumming, and some solid falsetto singing, but by the time it gets around to the sixth or seventh track, you’ve sworn it was the same song that opened the album. There’s just not enough stylistic differentiation to keep a listener happy for 45 minutes worth of music. Individual elements may impress, but it’s just not enough. Things don’t pick up much as far as excitement is concerned until the last two tracks. “Life’s Disease” is a great, melodic, subdued lead into the closing track, “Flames Adorn The Silence,” in which the screaming that decorated the background for so long actually comes into its own. This comes to pose a question, which is why did they not use the screaming vocalist more? He’s got a great scream, and it just feels like it’s put on the backburner until this last track.

The song itself alternates quite well between the sung and the screamed parts throughout, with the screaming really taking over. The only downside to this song is the break for the spoken word, which is done all too often with this type of music. The screaming sounds terrific though, and you can’t help but think what other dimensions it could have added to this album if it was used for more than background decoration, as so many other bands do.

This album isn’t reinventing the wheel, and its run time will be thought of as going longer than it really should, but it’s not as horrible as I was anticipating as I read through the press sheet. With a possible change in direction, more complex songwriting structures, and lyrical improvements, this could be a band to look out for in the coming years.

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Anonymous (July 24, 2005)

I love Stutterfly,they are a wonderful band.I just think that people are being stupid for saying that they suck.That's just everyone's opion lately about bands that are emo ro whatever.I think they are great.I got nothing else to say.

Anonymous (July 18, 2005)

who cares for labels; good music is good music, as to the question of why the most excellent screaming is put on the back burner, the answer is quite simple it's the major labels fault, they are trying to create a wider span of a listening audience by toning down the screaming which i think is a terrible mistake stutterfly gigs were some of the first i attended and they needed to change nothing, if only there was such a thing as a good major label that didn't focus on how they could create more revenue but on creating excellent music; if you listen very carefully to this album you'll hear a glimpse as to how great they will become

Anonymous (July 12, 2005)

This cd is amazing. I love them and wether they are emo thats angry or watever they rock .. I LOVE STUTTERFLY

Anonymous (July 1, 2005)

wow.. only 2 stars!? they are way better then that! they are awesome!

inagreendase (June 30, 2005)

someone REVIEW THE NEW LARRY ARMS FUCKIN' COLLECTION ARRRGHHHHHH

I plan on doing it soon, I just have about 6 things in front of it.

Anonymous (June 29, 2005)

... cuz what this abortion really, really needed is 2 reviews.

theevilmonkey (June 28, 2005)

The two reviews for this band have the same exact intros about emo and anger being mixed.

Anonymous (June 28, 2005)

i'm not steve jones thank god, or wussemorock whatever happened to him.

....but you did say i was right in the transplants thread!

paul

StormOf59 (June 28, 2005)

Maverick completely butchered any hope that belonged to this band. This album is awful. Awfully bad.

Anonymous (June 28, 2005)

I submit that you are not.

And that's funny when Brian Regan says it.

Anonymous (June 28, 2005)

I love records that come with press sheets telling you exactly how fucking cool the band is and tells how they went from being nobodies into rockstars. Record companies are convinced that even though we, the punks, listen to tons and tons of music, we need to be told that their little cash cow here is in fact well-liked, and has an immense following in the punk/emo/whatever universe.

-Ken

Anchors (June 28, 2005)

It's funny when Jones says it, are you Steve Jones?

I submit that you are not.

Anonymous (June 28, 2005)

yea and you'd be the gayest gay guys since gay left gaytown

review the larry arms comp!

paul

Anchors (June 28, 2005)

We'd be more powerful than even Voltron.

kirbypuckett (June 28, 2005)

We should from the Anchors / Kirby super reviewer and take on the world.

- Kirby

Anonymous (June 28, 2005)

2 reviews? christ guys, we all knew this band sucked

someone REVIEW THE NEW LARRY ARMS FUCKIN' COLLECTION ARRRGHHHHHH

paul

Anonymous (June 28, 2005)

there didn't even need to be 1 review of this to know what it would sound like.

recordings (June 28, 2005)

silent scream?! slayer will not have it.

crazytoledo (June 28, 2005)

there ar elike 20 other new cds that should havebeen reviewed before this as each expresses a bad review, kirbys should have never been added as its a "this genre sucks, they suck, they major label so they suck more..."

Anchors (June 28, 2005)

"who the fuck is this and why is it taking up one of our spots again on the reviews list?"

Because me and Kirby both got copies of this, and neither of us knew the other wrote the review until they were both in. And since the scores are different enough, both were posted.

Anonymous (June 28, 2005)

The album flows really well. The vocalist sounds very original. The background scream not truly being emphasized was a negative. Great band!!! Check em' out @ pure volume.com

deadlyDano

sweetsugarpezz (June 28, 2005)

who the fuck is this and why is it taking up one of our spots again on the reviews list?