Amazing band. Love melodic hardcore, and they really push the boundaries to make the music stand out. I can see this being a cross btw Stateside and Is Dead, don't see how this could disappoint anyone who liked Is dead

I don't like listening to records I want to be good, but this is pretty solid, consistent. In the way that Thrice's Beggars made me like the alchemy EP's a little more, I dig '...Is Dead' more after hearing this.

I'd like to see if they could maintain this with a different producer. Pretty great record, I dig this and the new thrice, a surprising pair for me to have as favorite records, but both of them slim, concise, no filler, enough kick to them but both not afraid of a melody or 2 minute plus song (IF needed). Now if only thrice would quit inserting cs lewis into their lyrics, it'd be perfect.

Great tunes. My only anxiety is the inevitable use of a great song like is dead in a future guitar hero game or on the background speakers at a mountain dew skating event. Which would hurt my soul, but it is a catchy tune, hard to know what to tell bands to do. Got to be a way to feel validated without having to market songs for bros to hang out to.

Anyway, wonderful record.

Great album! It took quite a few listens, but it eventually won me over. Much better than Is Dead.

There isn't much that is wrong with this album. To anyone who believes it's a departure from their roots, you should have stopped listening at Is Dead and continued to jerk off onto your Clerks DVD.

Troubled Stateside is one of my top 5 favorite albums, but this album exemplifies what band maturation should be. They STAY TRUE to their roots while artistically weaving progressions and lyrics not normally found on the peer's releases. 5/5 from me.

I'm pretty sure I'll be the only one, but I enjoy this record way more than any other Crime in Stereo release.
It's not that I don't like their older material, but it didn't grab me in the same way this record did.
This will almost definitely be in my top ten of 2010.

This record is a perfect example of bands who should change their name when they want to change up this much. So much noodling bullsnot on this LP it just gets so boring. It's what I always say, "Where the hell are the SONGS man?!"

There are a few good ones and a bunch of weirdo shit. Get wise and don't buy.

It's too bad about the atrocious cover art.

"I honestly think that CIS could slap a piece of dogshit on a cd and most of the people on here would sing their praises and try their hardest to find a way to like them so they can be edgy and cool.
I hate when bands sell out their old fans like this. I can understand the need to want to evolve and whatever but a complete genre change is almost requiring a band name change. If Slayer put out a country album or if Sick of it all put out an R'n'B album, how would the fans like it?"

I don't think you understand what words mean. Ignoring the fact that you just said bands should never deviate from a record fans liked, which is frightening, I Was Trying to Describe You To Someone is not as neck snapping a change as you believe. Alex is still writing about girls and jihad and the band is still playing something closely related to hardcore punk. Yes, Kristian's actually trying to sing. Stop pretending this frightens you.

Selling you out would be Alex writing an entire record full of un-threatening un-ambiguous songs about girls while the band played ALL TIME LOW-esque pop, and brother, that shit ain't happening.

As for the idea that Crime In Stereo fans are edgy and cool, I'm sitting in front of an entire row of comic books, the prizes of which are my two Hellboy Library Editions and the Immoral Iron Fist Omnibus.

I think of a breakdown as anytime a band starts to play in halftime mid-song
like at the end of drugwolf for example

@ mikexdude

"This record just takes the hardcore even further down.. there are still breakdowns, and there's still energy."

Where exactly are the breakdowns? I've only listened through once or twice now but I don't remember any breakdowns happening.

I hated this the first few times I listened to it, but then it grabbed me and wouldn't let go. After a few weeks, I'm still thoroughly digging it. I can't say yet whether it will grow on me more than Is Dead did. If you're thinking of writing them off for this, give it time to really sink in first.

I couldn't even make it through a single track on this thing, and gave up about seven tracks in. What the fuck is this garbage? People actually like this? Ugh, god help ya. Experimentation can be a terrible thing for a band, especially when they don't know what they're trying to do, and instead are just flailing at some vague "new" sound. That's all this is.

@LooseKanonYankee

Fair enough, carry on.

I like where this band was and is heading

hey laserguided, I didnt say you had to like the fact that cis isnt playing melodic hardcore, Im just tired of people talking about this record like it is a melodic hardcore record.

I hate when bands sell out their old fans like this. I can understand the need to want to evolve and whatever but a complete genre change is almost requiring a band name change. If Slayer put out a country album or if Sick of it all put out an R'n'B album, how would the fans like it?

I honestly don't think they're selling out their old fans at all; this is a totally natural progression. Troubled Stateside was melodic hardcore at its most simple, but you're ignoring the amount of experimenting they did with guitar effects and rhythmns. Is Dead switched those roles: more weird parts, less hardcore. This record just takes the hardcore even further down.. there are still breakdowns, and there's still energy. Yes, I would be mad if slayer put out a RnB album, because they never hinted at where CIS made baby steps to this.

I honestly think that CIS could slap a piece of dogshit on a cd and most of the people on here would sing their praises and try their hardest to find a way to like them so they can be edgy and cool.

Edgy and cool? Do you know where I live, most people DESPISE this band.

I like it so far, but I can tell it's going to be a grower.

As for the statement of bands being a business model when they don't change, well tell that to Bad Religion.

I don't see how that disproves that statement at all. Bad Religion tried to change, remember? And everyone hated them for it so they went back to what they had been doing and kept doing the same thing more or less for the rest of their career? To me that's a clear sign of it being a business model/decision.

I honestly think that CIS could slap a piece of dogshit on a cd and most of the people on here would sing their praises and try their hardest to find a way to like them so they can be edgy and cool.
I hate when bands sell out their old fans like this. I can understand the need to want to evolve and whatever but a complete genre change is almost requiring a band name change. If Slayer put out a country album or if Sick of it all put out an R'n'B album, how would the fans like it?
As for the Brand New comparision, it is totally valid. They started out as a punk band. Anyone who has heard Daisy and trying to describe it to someone else wouldn't use the word 'punk' as their first descriptor.
As for the statement of bands being a business model when they don't change, well tell that to Bad Religion.
It's a devisive record and i guess all we can do is hope that some other band can step up and carry on the melodic hardcore banner in CIS's stead.
*Paging No Trigger to thread...... *

blanktapes,

I doubt anyone is addressing your question beause discussing someone else's personality over the internet is stupid.

Well the rumour that it's between Stateside and Is Dead can be put to rest. I loved those records. I tried liking this, but I can't get into it. Huge letdown.

no one's gonna address my question?

On the first listen through... I'm not sure how I feel. The album just sounds flat to me so far.

"All of you who expect a punk band--a living organism comprised of living organisms--to stay exactly the same over long periods of time are kidding yourselves. Some do it, sure. But that's not art--that's a business model."

Total BS statement.

Anyway, pretty decent CD. Not really anything to cream over, but decent none the less.

"stop pretending cis makes melodic hardcore anymore, they dont, accept it, its totally fine"

No one has to accept that one of the best melodic hardcore bands out there became a second-rate Brand New cover band. I like Brand New, but there are several bands doing that sound way better than Crime is right now, and I wish Crime would at least gravitate back towards the influences that brought out their best. Is Dead showed that they could evolve into a different sound while staying somewhat themselves, and in my opinion they jumped the shark on this record. I think it's acceptable for a person to be disappointed by that.

"not dead" is an awesome song!

First off, I think troubled stateside was a very ambitious melodic hardcore album, one of the best every released in the genre

Second, Im very dissapointed that CIS hyped this up as "is dead meets stateside" because it sounds nothing like that

third, This isnt really a melodic hardcore record, stop pretending cis makes melodic hardcore anymore, they dont, accept it, its totally fine

this is a masterpiece, just like "...Is Dead" and "Explosvies..." and "Stateside" and everything else they've done.

i wish it was a tad faster at times, butthat's not so much a complaint as it is a personal preference. but yea, the first truly amazing album of 2010.

This album ranges from okay to pretty good, which is a huge step up from their older stuff that I'd say ranges from bad to worse.

when I talked to the singer at Verse's last show, he had this whole "holier than thou" way about him, did anyone else catch that?

Thanks for the suggestions, all. Robbers and Weatherbox are good stuff. Just gave them each a short listen.

Like everything they've done. I downloaded this and really liked it. I will purchase it shortly.

i like it.... a lot.

Truly believe this is the worst record put out by the worst band

inagreendase: Mansions and Robbers fall into the same kind of 'realm' of music, sure, but they don't really sound like this at face value. I would actually say Weatherbox would fit. If you like this CIS album, you should like American Art.

I like this quite a bit, especially Not Dead, Drugwolf, and Type One.

T-Rock: Completely agree about "I Cannot Answer You Tonight." I wrote this up in a hurry yesterday afternoon and obviously didn't edit it enough times before submitting, or I would have included a sentence or two about that song. Along with "Drugwolf" and "Young" it's definitely one of my favourites on the album.

T-Rock: A lot of bands in the BN/CIS/Mike Sapone network follow this description (Mansions, Colour Revolt, Robbers, Balance and Composure [listen to the Tigers Jaw split as soon as it's available]). Those are probably your best bets.

I loved Is Dead. I hate this.

this band is dull

I love this band and their "new sound" because its so moody. The word used in the review -- "haunting" -- is perfect, and I can't think of a band that I've listened to that has done it better. With that in mind, I'm completely up for suggestions on other "haunting, moody" bands. And no, don't suggest Brand New. I don't see the comparison.

Anyways, amazing release, and definitely my album of the year at this point. I can't foresee any release that will overtake it, unless something comes out of the blue. Also, "I Cannot Answer You Tonight" is the best song on the album, by far. The closing screams of "come back to meeee" always get to me.

just want to add, this clearly expands on the is dead ideas, and meakes them better. Wow, listening to this for the 3 time today and darn it keeps sounding better, could also be the donuts im eating too-oldpunker-

Just because it's not verse chorus verse doesn't mean it's "unique" or "experimental". I like Crime in Stereo when they bust out of the gate with over the top guitar hooks like on The Troubled Stateside. Or when they do channel their slower side and make more "accessible" music like on Is Dead. But this is just a step down. I'm not saying it's bad, but it's not great either. And by now I expect "great" from these guys.

didn't know what to expect from this, but i love it. i liked is dead a lot, but this to me is much better. as much as i love the old stuff, this album is really fucking great in it's own way.

This record is great. Blacklisted's No One Deserves... is also great.

Buy both.

Oh: The re-recording of Dark Island City is some George Lucas shit, I think we can all agree.

I wish everyone would stop comparing this band to Brand New, because I'm sure people who've never heard them are starting to think that the bands sound identical when that's hardly the case.

This record is great, but Is Dead is better. Some of the vocal melodies don't work as well this time around and some of the songs start to feel like too much, mostly just "Exit Halo" which doesn't do anything for me until well into the second half of the song.

But "Republica"? Fuck, what a great song.

The worst part of this album is the artwork. Otherwise it would be 4 start material.

I've never checked out this band, but this review makes me a little curious.

Cautiously optimistic about this. Hoping to grab a copy after work today. Double-hoping to catch their record release show in West Chester with the Menzingers on Thursday.

I'm all for change. I was expecting some interesting things on this album. After a couple listens, it's just kind of boring. I'm hoping I find more to like after some more listens.

I just finished listening to this a few minutes ago, I was extremely underwhelmed. Boring, bland, derivative.

I haven't heard this other than the songs they posted on myspace. I love Crime in Stereo and I'll probably get this, but one thing that always bothers me is that they get so much praise for "evolving" and "changing their sound" when they are pretty much just following in the footsteps of Brand New. So they weren't the most original melodic-hardcore band, but they wrote some really solid tunes. They are still good, and they still write solid tunes, but I wouldn't call them any more original or innovative than they were before. They simply switched from one genre to another.

Not a word about "I Am Everything I Am Not," the album's second best track (after Drugwolf)? Come on!

This shit is brilliant. The Brand New comparison is dead-on and I am ecstatic to see a band that doesn't give a shit about sticking to a limited blueprint of their form. I can't wait for the next one -- I hope it's even weirder.

this is a very cool release. I liked troubled stateside a lot. and I liked is dead more. I think this is great.

No they can't be expected to put out Explosives 2.0... because the've been too busy working on Is Dead 2.0.... which is just Brand New part 4 at this point. It's not a bad record, but I've heard it too many times before.

6/10

Good review, apart from the second paragraph is totally unnecessary in my opinion.

I wish I could afford this.

Good review, i'll be picking this up some time this week

brilliant, plain and simple-oldpunker-

Am I the only person that thought "No One Deserves To Be Here More Than Me" was an awful album?

Maybe it's just because I'm not too big on Nirvana...

I quit.

I always expect Strike Anywhere to put out the same album and they always do. And this makes me happy.

Good review.

incroyable!

I'd still prefer an epic closer.