Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Saosin - Self Titled

This review of Saosin's debut album was also printed in Rival Street Press May 2007 edition.

Album Review

Saosin – Saosin

By Tom Mattessi

Californian band Saosin have been around for a few years now, but have only just released their debut self titled album. Their two preceding EP’s helped the band build a rabid American fanbase, and most savvy Australian fans know how good the band are. The long awaited debut full length is confirmation of the talent of a band that promised so much on last years Taste of Chaos tour.

Saosin are a band that mix the epic choruses of 90’s skate punk with the more technical musicianship of modern hardcore acts, minus the screaming that characterises a lot of popular contemporary bands. And like many of their 90’s predecessors they have produced a start-to-finish album without a weak link. The songs are driven by extreme drum parts: massive 4-beat roles and ultra-technical, driving rhythms. Guitarists Justin and Joe trade super fast riffs throughout each song. But what sets the band apart from many talented modern acts is the amazingly high pitched voice of vocalist Cove Reber.

When Saosin lost charismatic original vocalist Anthony Green a few years ago, many fans lamented the premature demise of a band with limitless potential. Somehow, they found a new vocalist with an identically high voice. But the new singer is not just a voice. As the album proves, his song writing ability is undeniable. ‘Voices’ is the perfect choice for a first single, and its chorus line ‘we sing in different voices’ is perhaps an unconscious nod to the fans who doubted the replacement singers ability. ‘You’re not Alone’ will doubtless be the singalong anthem on the upcoming tour, and ‘I never wanted to’ is a great revamp of an old song. The album is awesome all the way, and the band, refreshingly, avoid screaming for a focus on pure melody and anthemic choruses. It comes with a bonus DVD. Saosin tour Australia in May. The shows should not be missed.

Is 'emo' killing genres?

This article was published in Rival Street press, a brand new street magazine covering music in parts of country Victoria. Massive reader base I know.

Is ‘emo’ killing genres? What about Alexisonfires new album ‘Crisis’?

By Tom Mattessi

How bands suffer at the mercy of a bitter music writer and a judgmental, lazy fan. Granted, genre descriptions are a necessary evil that plagues modern music. But the phenomenon that is the ‘emo’ genre is an indictment on both modern music journalism and modern music taste. The word ‘emo’ is, these days, basically a synonym for shit, and no self-respecting band would ever categorise their sound as such (emo or shit). The biggest irony is that emotion, the word emo is derived from, is the driving force behind all good music, but bands labelled ‘emo’ are the lowest musicians on earth. Yes, lower than cover bands.

So how does a band survive being labelled ‘screamo’? The self-indulgent whinings of emo mixed with misplaced screams of adolescent aggression is surely a recipe for musical hell. Canada’s Alexisonfire are a band trying to overcome the dreaded genre curse at the moment. And with their third album, Crisis, they will surely convince any open-minded fan that a band labelled ‘screamo', or ‘emo', by hack music writers, can still be good. Despite their ill-chosen name (pronounced Alexis-on-fire), the 5-piece from the small town of St Catharines have achieved remarkable success in a scene that is dominated by ultra judgmental fans and critics.

Great bands confound genre. There are fundamentals to good songs that render musical style irrelevant. Kasey Chambers’ presence on my Ipod is powerful evidence. Brilliant melodies dominate Crisis. Singer/Guitarist Dallas Green is an immense talent. His humble, uplifting choruses mix perfectly with the rough, offbeat aggression of the band and the screaming vocalist George.

Great music is emotional, and emotive. The band has finally reached maturity with its third effort, setting aside wacky teenage lyrics for a brutally honest critique of the town they grew up in. The appraisal is harsh, and one feels that a band that has travelled the whole world yearns desperately to come home to a better place. As Dallas sings on first single “This could be anywhere in the world”: ‘This city is haunted by ghosts from broken homes’. Or to never have to come back at all. “Light a torch, and burn away, every tie that binds me to this place.” And as the lyrics confront the bands small town origins so the listener reflects on the place they grew in, and how it defines them. The band has chosen the topic closest to their hearts and delivered an emotional album that will certainly confirm them as the standout of the much maligned ‘screamo’ genre.

For music lovers averse to really heavy music, perhaps Alexisonfire are the perfect band for beginning the transition. There is just enough soft melody to satisfy pop fans and more than enough aggression to appease a metal fan. And for fans of detailed, mature song-writing and intelligent lyrics, this album is the perfect antidote to the clichéd, pretentious bands that dominate the hardcore scene. Sometimes, when filing through the depths of ‘emo’, one uncovers unique, passionate music in the place where they least expect to find it

Road trip Rage

See my report from Melbourne's loss to Sydney at the SCG. It was posted on the mighty demonblog.