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Boy Sets Fire

The Misery Index: Notes from the Plague Years
2006
Equal Vision

Boy Sets Fire - The Misery Index: Notes from the Plague Years (Cover Artwork)


Review by: colin
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Equal Vision Records (Logo)

Published on March 24th 2006

Boy Sets Fire's 2000 effort, After the Eulogy, seemed to put them at the top of their game in the eyes of many. So much so, that with the uneven response to Tomorrow Come Today, people seemed to think the band was past their prime, and would soon fade into the growing list of post-hardcore acts from the late `90s who just couldn't keep reinventing the sound.

The Misery Index: Notes from the Plague Years is sort of one big 'fuck you' to that notion. While the album introduces itself with an acoustic guitar, the ever-outspoken band cuts right to the chase. After a minute and a half of a lyrical assault to those who keep silent about current events, the band returns sonically with the ferocity that was seemingly lost over the past few years. The album demands to be heard, it pulls no punches, and takes pride in that fact.

While the vast array of layers of instruments and vocals would be seemingly overproduced, I happen to think that in this instance it works quite well. Some of the disc would be hard to replicate live, but when dealing with political content, there's always a certain theatrical aspect involved. The production is noticable, but doesn't detract from the music; it more enhances the sound. The guitars are driving but not overpowering, and the vocals are layerd but not distracting. The drumming is absolutely phenomenal, and is the spine of the entire disc.

This is not an album without faults. While "Requiem" is a mid-tempo rock song that is radio-friendly but not the 'obviously included for a single' song, the background vocals of "I need to feel it, please, just let me feel alright," give it a cheap mall-emo quality that I think could have been easily disposed of. "Deja Coup," while a clever assault on organized religion, sounds out of place with the pop-punk sound. The band has many experiments on this record, as far as varying influences are concerned, and this is the only one that sounds like it might be out of place. Even as it transitions into a horn-led chorus, it sounds just fine, but the bouncy verses seem a bit out of place.

However, for the few faults, there are triumphs tenfold. When the band signed to Equal Vision, they hinted at a record of political determination, and delivered almost in an over-the-top manner. When the band isn't singing about George Bush directly, they're attacking organized religion, poverty, and hunger. Even in the break-up anthem, "Falling Out Theme," the band compares love and war. With so many acts these days falling into the safety net of screaming and heart-on-sleeve mascara and bad haircuts, Boy Sets Fire refuses to do so, and puts their money where their mouth is.

While there are many different types of songs on the album, from the spastic "Final Communiqué" to the nostalgic "(10) and Counting," the album doesn't feel uneven in the way Tomorrow Come Today does, and I mainly believe it's because the vocals are delivered with such passion. Whether he is singing in front of an acoustic guitar or screaming behind the force of the full band, Nathan Gray's vocals have never been this good. A single listen to the closing track, "A Far Cry," will convince anyone of this. The voice pierces through the music like a bullet, unapologetically cutting down the Bush administration;

Give up because you'll never justify the blood on your fingers, the bullshit look of concern, the cover-ups, lies, and the bloated corpse of a system that is begging to burn.
After that passage, a repeating wail of "Surrender!" bridges into an ironic prayer of destruction and war, and then into a surprise re-recording of Eulogy's "Still Waiting for the Punchline."

I'll admit that before this album, I wasn't the biggest Boy Sets Fire fan. I enjoyed my copy of After the Eulogy, but it isn't an album I listen to on repeat. I was disappointed with the majority of Tomorrow Come Today, and had basically left this band for dead. This is, with all puns intended, truly a ressurrection. This album is monstrous and should not be left on the shelves. It is pertinent, it is intelligent, it deals with issues that should be dealt with, and it does so in a listener-friendly manner. It's the album that BSF needed to make, and they came through with resounding success.



People who liked this also liked:
The Lawrence Arms - Oh! Calcutta!NOFX - The DeclineThe Lawrence Arms - The Greatest Story Ever ToldRise Against - Revolutions Per MinuteRefused - The Shape of Punk to ComeRise Against - The Sufferer & the WitnessThe Lawrence Arms - Cocktails And DreamsDillinger Four - Situationist ComedyBoy Sets Fire - After the EulogyWeezer - The Blue Album



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    Posted by sugarfull on 2009-02-15 03:22:09
    My Score:

    Score is for the fact that I found this at the dollar store.

    Posted by AFI-ADDICT on 2006-10-12 11:37:33
    My Score:

    I am SO glad that I got into this kind of HXC music and this band when I was younger.
    They are definitely at the peak of a comeback from the slight letdown of Tomorrow Come Today!! Been expecting this FOREVER. :D

    Oh, and here's a giant SCREW YOU to people who say,
    "this band is fucking boring" or
    "i dont like the way some songs are heavyer n some are really emo"
    because, WTF do you want them to be?! Screamo, but singing BARNEY SONGS??
    Holy cheese. Maybe those people should go watch some Barney, seeing as how they CAN'T POSSIBLY STAND ONE MORE EMOTIONAL (I don't say emo. That is a genre of music...) LYRIC!!!!

    Ehh woooooooot for "Still Waiting for the Punchline" in After.

    Posted by istapledmyfoot on 2006-08-15 02:37:43

    the new Misery Index is so FUCKING good.

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, May 4, 2006 at 2:28 PM (EDT)

    This Album Kicks The Shit.. Much better than tomorrow....Up there with After.

    Posted by Since94 on 2006-04-14 19:24:16

    This cd sucks....good name for it though cause when I listened to it, it made me miserable.

    Posted by miniblindbandit on 2006-04-11 18:20:40

    I thought this album was amazing. I've been listening to this and Oh Calcutta! constantly since I bought them. It's a decent review although I would say "Deja Coup" has more ska influences than pop-punk.

    Posted by tylerdurden8136 on 2006-03-31 13:23:38

    go kill yourself, colin.

    Posted by SilentStorms on 2006-03-30 14:53:19

    Holler at Scruffy, although I don't even listen to these guys anymore. It's think it's more of my progression as a listener as opposed to their lack of progression as musicians. What an awkward sentence.

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, March 30, 2006 at 8:58 AM (EST)

    "Wow, could you please explain to everyone how you traveled in time forward 8 months to come to this conclusion? Otherwise, it sounds like the usual bullshit "this is gonna be on my top 20, for shore!" rhetoric critics like to spew. Why not just say "I like this album a lot"?"

    take it easy there killer, everything's going to be ok.... just take a deep breathe and try to calm down.....

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, March 29, 2006 at 3:07 AM (EST)

    As good as Stars Dont Fall

    Posted by danperrone on 2006-03-29 00:25:31

    scruffy is on FIRE

    and ATE is superior to TDTSWO because that has "cadence" and "65 factory outlets" and ATE doesn't have a bad song

    that's pretty much is though, both amazing albums

    Posted by Scruffy on 2006-03-28 19:03:11

    "People that say After The Eulogy is their best cd, need to go listen to The Day The Sun Went Out again."

    Really? Because I could swear that I've listened to it enough to make my own freaking decision that while TDTSWO is a good album, and possibly a milestone in its genre, After The Eulogy is a great album, period. ATE can stand up to the best albums ever in my opinion, not just enjoyable punk albums.

    Oh, wait, I forgot. The Day The Sun Went Out is the best Boysetsfire album, Hoss is the best Lagwagon album, Four Minute Mile is the best Get-Up Kids album, the self-titled is the best Pennywise album, Suffer is the best Bad Religion album, Guided Tour Of Chicago is the best Lawrence Arms album, Kerplunk is the best Green Day album and 24 Hour Revenge Therapy is better than Dear You, and if you think differently, you're stupid. Sorry, I forgot about that. How unhip of me.

    Posted by notfeelingcreative on 2006-03-27 22:39:45

    "this band is fucking boring"

    Yeah, they're not cookie cutter epifat punk.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, March 27, 2006 at 1:43 PM (EST)

    This band is awful. They used to be alright, but then darrell left. They spend too much of their time cramming coke up their noses, and not enough writing decent songs, although, maybe that was mr. hyde's job, eh fellas? Everybody knows everybody else in delaware, and i know enough to tell you, these fuckers are assholes and have fallen off in a bad way.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, March 27, 2006 at 12:08 PM (EST)

    People that say After The Eulogy is their best cd, need to go listen to The Day The Sun Went Out again.

    Posted by Mute98 on 2006-03-27 10:17:47
    My Score:

    this band is fucking boring

    Posted by miff on 2006-03-26 14:15:31

    i dont like the way some songs are heavyer n some are really emo

    Posted by lender on 2006-03-26 11:26:41
    My Score:

    excellent

    Posted by baseball on 2006-03-26 10:44:22

    cool, i'll check that one out first then

    Posted by skaboom on 2006-03-25 20:21:01

    baseball - start with After the Eulogy. Widely considered their best album, and one of my favorite "emocore" (or whatever genre you want to call them) albums of all time.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, March 25, 2006 at 7:23 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Get lost, Frank. You don't know what you're dealing with.

    -Chinatown

    Posted by baseball on 2006-03-25 19:16:11

    i feel like kind of a douchebag for never hearing an album by these guys

    Posted by Frankff on 2006-03-25 12:23:02
    My Score:

    I really enjoy this album and i'm still mad i couldn't attend their show in Paris ten days ago. Fortunately i had seen them during their mini Euro tour last december, where they played a couple of new songs, but their set lasted only 45 minutes (the Locust *pukes* was headlining and some of their stupid fans ended up booing BSF).

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, March 25, 2006 at 11:04 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    just not rockin

    Posted by pabstboy on 2006-03-25 09:23:06

    Not a bad album, but definetly no After the Eulogy

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, March 25, 2006 at 3:27 AM (EST)

    boy sets fire wants to become the next Sheer Terror

    Posted by Scruffy on 2006-03-25 00:40:45

    I don't see how Chinatown came off as "some sort of hipster baring us the gift of music knowledge". Most of those albums have been or will be reviewed. Sw!ms is even right over to the left there in this week's reviews. Akimbo gets covered a good deal here. Pink Razors get enough hype (not a lot, but enough) that no one could act like they're special for knowing about them.
    And we all list the bands and/or albums that we're totally psyched about a lot.
    How was what he said wrong in any way?

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, March 25, 2006 at 12:11 AM (EST)

    propagandhi's better.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 24, 2006 at 11:26 PM (EST)

    Doesn't matter, brother, because you're still trying sooo hard.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 24, 2006 at 11:07 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Three of the records I mentioned came out in 2006. So, no, you unfortunately weren't listening to them in 2005.

    -Chinatown

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 24, 2006 at 11:04 PM (EST)

    The sad thing is that Chinatown sees himself as some sort of hipster baring us the gift of music knowledge. As if we didn't all listen to those records last year.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 24, 2006 at 10:52 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    that's cause he gave you a really wet blowjob after the interview you faggot

    Posted by danperrone on 2006-03-24 22:39:51

    i can see how nathan can come off like a prick

    that comes down to how tolerant of that shit you are

    personally, i find it hysterical and i found it a joy to talk to him...there are reasons why he's so cynical nowadays too..nothing wrong with a little bit of a bad attitude when you're still fun to be around, na mean?

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 24, 2006 at 9:29 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    I just got the new Akimbo album, and I have to say that, as remarkable a comeback as this is from the gents in Boysetsfire, it doesn't compare to the sheer madness that is Forging Steel and Laying Stones. The Pink Razors, Invisible Eyes, Sw!ms, and Okay Paddy albums are tops as well.

    -Chinatown

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 24, 2006 at 8:41 PM (EST)

    i like their influences ranging from the angry samoans to the devil dogs

    Posted by colin on 2006-03-24 19:20:49

    I loved this band, and was planning on buying this. But then I read the interview with nathan and he seemed like a prick, and I haven't listened to BSF since.

    so, just because you sound like a total dumbass here, that means you are one in real life and nobody listens to you?

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 24, 2006 at 4:38 PM (EST)

    I loved this band, and was planning on buying this. But then I read the interview with nathan and he seemed like a prick, and I haven't listened to BSF since.

    Posted by radioXwaves on 2006-03-24 16:16:05
    My Score:

    this is one of the best new records Ive heard in recent times. BSF get high fives.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 24, 2006 at 3:58 PM (EST)

    "One of my favorite albums of 2006."

    Wow, could you please explain to everyone how you traveled in time forward 8 months to come to this conclusion? Otherwise, it sounds like the usual bullshit "this is gonna be on my top 20, for shore!" rhetoric critics like to spew. Why not just say "I like this album a lot"?

    -Will

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 24, 2006 at 3:40 PM (EST)

    Great record, good to hear somebody wrting intelligent lyrics, without resorting to usual played out crap about girls and scene unity.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 24, 2006 at 3:16 PM (EST)

    so, is nathan gay still or did he go back in the closet? in out in out, make up your fucking mind. anyone else think it was a way to get out of a marriage without coming out and saying "i'm tired of fucking you"

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 24, 2006 at 2:15 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Good album. Doesn't top ATE

    -Chinatown

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 24, 2006 at 1:46 PM (EST)

    wheres the devil dogs review (30 sizzling slabs??)

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 24, 2006 at 1:29 PM (EST)

    This album sucks. Is it ironic that "This Crying, This Screaming... My Voice is Being Born" had less crying than this piece of shit?

    Posted by joeg on 2006-03-24 13:04:18
    My Score:

    i never "got" this band, probably never will.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 24, 2006 at 12:11 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    I'd give it a 9 as well....simply an amazing album.
    Love the folk influences and of course the core.
    The ska songs are OK, the ballads rule and the core tunes kick major ass. Great job by BSF!!

    Posted by Allular on 2006-03-24 12:08:12

    I agree on how the drums sound. The bass doesn't sound half too bad either.

    But some of the songs just kind of sound.. off. Overproduced. Especially Track 3? I don't have the album in front of me..

    I'm pretty sure that if the songs were played live, they would own.

    Posted by discofucker on 2006-03-24 11:31:46
    My Score:

    I fucking love this album. I think that Deja Coup doesen't really fit the lyrics, but it is a very catchy song. The drums really are the backbone of this album, Matt did a great job.

    Posted by Scruffy on 2006-03-24 11:21:33

    That was, of course, to the person two posts below mine. The one complaining about the near-perfect score.

    Posted by Scruffy on 2006-03-24 11:20:46

    Then why do you come here?

    I hate almost everything that I hear that Pitchfork gives a near-perfect rating to. Guess what? I don't go to Pitchfork. (I'm not saying you're a Pitchfork fan. I'm just making the analogy. Why not find a site that caters more to what you want to see?)

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 24, 2006 at 11:19 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    I really like this album, but I'm not sure if I like it because it's actually good or that it's just such an improvement over the last disc.

    The highlight track of this album is 'So Long... And Thanks for the Crutches'. The lyrics on that song are just fucking brutal.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 24, 2006 at 10:58 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    I knew this album would get a near pefect score.

    I know because Boysetsfire sucks and all bands that suck get good scores on here.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 24, 2006 at 10:32 AM (EST)

    Wheres the Sainte Catherines review?

    Posted by notfeelingcreative on 2006-03-24 09:43:25
    My Score:

    The first time I saw BSF they opened for Avail and I hated them, the next time, they opened for snapcase and I thought they made a fan out of me. In my opinion, this has some of the best songs they've ever written but also some filler, I really like it, but it doesn't flow the same way "After The Eulogy" or "The Day the SUn went out" did.

    Posted by GreenVandal on 2006-03-24 09:33:18

    you're*

    Posted by GreenVandal on 2006-03-24 09:32:32
    My Score:

    Really overproduced and soulless sounding.

    Actual songwriting aint bad, his lyrics have gotten even worse though. If your into newer hardcore I would pick this up, but anyone who likes their music kinda "rough" sounding should stay away.

    When will people figure out that putting your guitar through pro tools doesnt make it sound good?

    Posted by Scruffy on 2006-03-24 08:48:28

    I liked Tomorrow Come Today. There were a lot of good songs on it. It was kind of forgettable, though.
    This album, to me, seems more erratic and uneven. It doesn't seem like an album so much as a collection of songs. I still really like it, as it feels more honest than the last album.
    That said, nothing this band ever does will live up to After The Eulogy for me. That album is one of the best albums of all time to me. The lyrics to about half the songs perfectly fit what I was going through in my life at that time, and the music is some of the best hardcore/emo/whatever that's ever been recorded. There's a world of meaning in the line "I never thought this could be me. I guess you never do until it's happening to you."

    Posted by opened_ground on 2006-03-24 06:39:26

    "oy Sets Fire - The Misery Index: Notes from the Plague
    Posted by Cos on 2006-03-24 05:01:02

    Wow. Sounds good...
    --Cos
    Boy Sets Fire - The Misery Index: Notes from the Plague
    Posted by Anonymous on 2006-03-24 04:43:43
    My Score:

    Pretty awful."

    I don't know what to think now.

    Posted by Cos on 2006-03-24 05:01:02

    Wow. Sounds good...
    --Cos

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 24, 2006 at 4:43 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    Pretty awful.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 24, 2006 at 4:26 AM (EST)

    where is the devil dogs review from 30 sizzling slabs??

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 24, 2006 at 3:34 AM (EST)

    kind of a boring review.

    wyzo

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 24, 2006 at 2:55 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    boy sets fire is boring

    Posted by danperrone on 2006-03-24 01:50:35

    and colin, i am so impressed that you picked up on how amazing the drums are

    such a huge fucking sound, and they're so well done...not over the top, but just like you said...the backbone

    and seriously, go see them live on their next tour...they replicate the songs here PERFECTLY, including "so long..." which would be seemingly impossible to recreate live, but they did it earlier this month, horns and all...and the end of final communique? holy SHIT

    Posted by danperrone on 2006-03-24 01:47:11

    this will be my FAVORITE album of 2006, no doubt

    i don't know about BEST, but i've played this to fucking death, wherever i go

    i'd give it a 9 as well

    without with cold eyes and deja coup, it's almost a 10

    Posted by iconoclast on 2006-03-24 01:09:10

    i just now listened to all the songs on this album for the first time and there's a few songs i really like, but overall im not really feelin it.
    very well written review, by the way colin.

    Posted by recordings on 2006-03-24 01:02:47

    never could get into these guys really, dunno why though. i swear to god whenever some tour comes through the mpls area and a band drops off for a date or so, BSF fills in. this has happened no less than 6 times that ive seen. its unprecedented and very creepy.

    zapfino is one of the worst typefaces ever.

    Posted by skaboom on 2006-03-24 00:46:25

    I like how Nathan went back to a snarl instead of that metalcore-ish grunting from TCT. The album isn't perfect, Deja Coup seems too bouncy for the lyrical content, and hearing the hidden ATE song after A Far Cry reminds me how hard an album that is to live up to, but it is a huge step up from the last album.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 24, 2006 at 12:41 AM (EST)

    The most fond memory I have of a BSF show was a couple of skinheads getting their asses stomped afterwards. I guess because they kept calling Nathan a fag and the crowd got sick of it.

    Posted by Godfather on 2006-03-24 00:39:27
    My Score:

    fucking awesome

    Posted by aubin on 2006-03-24 00:36:25
    My Score:

    One of my favorite albums of 2006.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 24, 2006 at 12:30 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    Good album. This band gets way too much shit when there are other bands who are REALLY bad (i.e.- My Chemical Romance, Green Day, Flock of Seagulls).

    After The Eulogy is still my favorite from them, but I'd also recommend this.

    Posted by kindofalongwaydown on 2006-03-24 00:29:49
    My Score:

    Sooooo good. Takes me back to the ATE and Day before times.....