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| La DisputeSomewhere at the Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair2008 No Sleep 
 Review by: dktr See others by this writer Only registered users can post comments 
 
Published on November 14th 2008 I haven't done this for a while: listen to a compilation and actually like a band on it. I either already know the band and the label (Fat Wreck, Hellcat, etc.), or the music is so generic it's hard to know A from B (see: the Punx United compilation). So after downloading the recent Revolution Records online freebie, and skipping through the whinier parts, my ears came to rest on La Dispute. You had my hand in your hand; my lips in your teeth; you had my heart on your sleeve...It's that part: “You had my heart on your sleeve.” I don't really care what this song is supposed to be about; in many ways, it's immaterial what the writer intended; it only matters how it is interpreted. The song could be about a girl, but it could just as easily be about music; for what else is the music that you listen to apart from your heart on their sleeve? There’s an intensity on their album, Somewhere at the Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair that can match Sick of it All, or the first Against Me! album. It drags you in; it involves; it makes you want to shout/scream along. The vocal performance, the poetic verbal diarrhea on display Jordan Dreyer feels like a stream of intense, desperate consciousness. He’s backed by a band that complement everything, bursting forth and shutting up with massive riffs, the occasional picked guitar and the tease of horns. The music is much like Guns N’ Roses being played by a hardcore band with the Darkest Hour lyricist on the verge of crumbling. The words follow the concept of love and the loss of it, and all its trials. They can be read as a ‘human relationship’ album á la a ‘post’-hardcore Dear You (Jawbreaker), but there are parts of the lyrics that would suggest more -- that would suggest it’s also about the struggle with life, society, music, heroes and villains. This is a deep album, a strong album and a sound I would normally fob off but I just can’t. The lyrics offer much depth and just enough ambiguity not just to be about boys and girls (or boys and boys or girls and girls) and the music puts in a perfect frame. This is not about haircuts, nor how tight your jeans our. This album has the power to reach beyond fashion, beyond petty elitism and bad writing. It’s one of the few times that I don’t care how experimental or intelligent this band is, because they’re just so good at what they do, it's just lucky that they are. People who liked this also liked:           Please login or register to post comments. What are the benefits of having a Punknews.org account?
definitely better than Vancouver, IMO This really is a beautiful, sprawling album. One typo correction: "Revolution Records" should be "Revelation Records" It's good, but I'm not sure about all the praise-y reviews it's getting. Fuck this no talent band and their melodramatic vocalist. If you're ever in the Grand Rapids/Muskegon area and in need of a good laugh, make sure you catch these assholes at one of the many dive bars they frequent. By the way the singer dude moves around on stage, you'd swear to Christ he was suffering from M.S. This band rules. Singer reminds of the dude from mewithoutYou. I dig. I like everything but the vocals, just can't get into them. These guys definitely show a lot of promise though. This first paragraph of the review hold EXACTLY my thoughts. I feel the same way about comps, and downloaded the same comp and while at work listening to it, i immediately took note of this band to track down more of...havent gotten the album yet but i will soon do so Whoops, meant to give it 4 stars. This is a very good album. The At the Drive-In and Saetia comparisons are fitting. Good review, too. Coincidentally, I was listening to "Accident Prone" while reading this. I just got this album today. At first I was somewhat disappointed they went for a more "post rock"-ey sound, but this album is written so well, and is quickly growing on me. Im not sure if it's better then vancouver, but give me a few more listens and that might change. revolution or revelation? This album is really, really good. Maybe even better than Vancouver and that album fucking ruled. punx united was a good comp. wednesday night heroes ftw |
