Thursday, June 11, 2009

The Careless Lies Behind Those Brown Eyes That You Swore Were True More Times Than I Can Count

Its officially been a while... like, almost a month. Maybe even a month. Wow. Anyways, I needed to write. To put it simply, the new Emery album is too amazing to NOT talk about. Sure, they strayed off the path a little bit with "I'm Only A Man"(and don't get me wrong, I loved that album), but then they released "While Broken Hearts Prevail...", and I got excited. Now here it is: Possibly the best Emery album yet. "...In Shallow Seas We Sail". Go ahead, throw the two album titles together. "While Broken Hearts Prevail, In Shallow Seas We Sail".

The album opens with a kick to the face. "Cutthroat Collapse" starts off in the vein of "Walls" from their first album, and immediately, all doubt disappears. "Time runs out". Screams, and even a few lowers screams, blast through the speakers, and then suddenly, calm. Toby and Devin trade off vocal duties, sometimes even singing different parts at the same time, culminating with the chaotic-yet-calm chorus consisting of Toby singing, and Devin singing, albiet slight delayed. The cycle of calm and chaos continues, culminating in the bridge, and then ending with another kick.

"Curbside Goodbye" too opens harshly, but a little less harsh, before calming down a lot. Light vocals on the verses, and soaring dual-vox chorus make this song really stand out. "Inside Our Skin" is a bit different for an Emery song. For one, they make direct spiritual references in the song. While the members are all Christian(check out some of their side projects for proof of that), they try not to be overtly spiritual in hopes of being able to reach more people through conversation. That ends here as they scream "If God is good, then what are we? There is no plant without a seed. When morning comes, will we believe all that was lost can be retrieved? You say you’re good, then let me see. A faith is dead without the deed. How can we fail if we believe? Let’s be who we were meant to be."

"Churches and Serial Killers" starts up next, opening with drums and keyboard strings before the guitars and vocals kicking in, and a rather favorite lyric of mine, "There is a part of me that always sees the easy way out. If it doesn't hurt, then not another word". It also has some really nice clean vocals with underlying screams. The dual vocals seem to be really prevalent on this album, and I gotta say, its a welcome addition. Then we get to "Butcher's Mouth" and "In Shallow Seas We Sail", probably two of my favorite tracks on the record. "Butcher's Mouth" throws down some heavy drums and lyrics that remind of, well, facebook.... "I've got a way of figuring out what you said, but I want to hear it from the butcher's mouth". Another high point: The intense parts. Emery has always know when the time for intensity has come. In this case, its at the bridge, as they scream about someone who is taking advantage of people's kindness. "Throw yourself a pity party! Pull on each and every heartstring! We've brought you here, we've brought here, and no one will come to your defense".

Then we come to the title track. It starts out as a typical Emery track, with keys, dual vocals, slightly crunchy guitars, and intensity changes. Then it gets to the bridge, and I officially get blown away. Toby and guest vocalist/producer Aaron Sprinkle sing together in the typical vocal style of Emery, but something about Aaron's voice just makes it, I dunno, great. Kinda poetic. "I fell apart when I fell for you".

We blaze through the next couple tracks, with "The Poor and the Prevalent" with more dualing screams/cleans, followed by "The Smile, the Face", 1 of 2 tracks from the previous EP, followed by "A Sin to Hold on To" which speaks of casting off lust and being a light to others, and another great track, "Piggy Bank Lies". We then move to the other recycled EP track, "Edge of the World". And then, the closer. And in mu opinion, Emery has a great track record for closers.

I present to you, "Dear Death Part 1" and "Dear Death Part 2", a single track that is for some reason split into two. It starts off with a nice acoustic riff with some piano in the background, and Toby's vocals singing softly along, before giving us a nice little surprise: Spanish singing! Sure, it ain't much, but he closes the short Part 1 with the echoing "Esta noche sera mia", or "This night will be mine" over slow strings and keys. Part 2 then kicks in with a rock vibe, but feeling a bit different than their other straight rock songs. I dunno, it just does. Maybe its the alteration of the crunchy guitars and the less crunchy guitars. Either way, more dual vocals, and more amazingness. And then, we end. And I flip it back to the beginning.

Seriously, this may be Emery's best album yet. Yes, it may even beat out "The Weak's End". "....In Shallows Seas We Sail" takes the best of Weak's End and the best of "The Question" and adds a bit of progression. Its officially up for the best album of 2009 so far. Sure, its gonna have a big competitor in the form of Owl City's "Ocean Eyes"(which the first two tracks released are seeming amazing", and Relient K can always pull out some new stunts, so we'll see. Either way. This is an album to listen to.

And just for reference: Here's the best albums of the year so far.

1. Emery - In Shallow Seas We Sail
2. The Devil Wears Prada - With Roots Above and Branches Below
3. As Cities Burn - Hell or High Water
4. mewithoutYou - Its All Crazy! Its All False! Its All A Dream! Its Alright.
5. And Then There Were None - Who Speaks For Plant Earth?

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