As overwrought as this stuff is, I'm tempted to get into it. There's a definite authoritative power contained within these tracks that shuts me up before I can say "Oh, quit your crying you emo-brats!" It's an intriguing mixture, these despairing piano ballads chopped up with throaty roars and chugging guitars. The non-screaming vocalist sounds a lot like the singer to Calla (and a little bit like Jim O'Rourke) and doesn't do anything fresh or vital in this arena. But the music is a potent cocktail that more or less drives things home.
I could do without the blandly morose, introspective lyrics, but I suppose they work within the band's given framework. The problem is that after awhile, the sameness of the songs gets a tad tiresome, though there's a slight break with the acoustic strumming on "Second Sickness." But this songs just plain stinks. It's the very pedestrian suicide notes of the thing makes me loathe so many Deep Elm artists in the first place. And it makes you realize after hearing it just how few degrees the other songs are away from being insipid emo wrist-slitting parties. So while I want to like this record, something just doesn't connect.
Perhaps it's the simple fact that some hybrids, while intriguing, don't fully carry over into their own thing. If I want the epitome of the quieter parts, I can throw on dirge-mongers Black Heart Procession; and if I want the apex of the louder screamo sections (which are decidedly scant), I can pick up some Pg. 99 (For those that don't know Document #8 is the Pg. 99 you'd want to check out. It's a corker to say the least). So, I guess I just can't wholeheartedly recommend this record. Those who are into Deep Elm records will find Funeral Car without my aid. For the unfaceted music fans out there, you might want to skip this one. It's just a tad too formulaic, and, by the end, decidedly disappointing.
1. My Hell
2. Drowning Horses
3. Drawn and Quartered
4. Dying Dawn
5. Take You Under
6. These Games We Play
7. Second Sickness
8. Fields Landing
9. Casket
10. Something About a Ghost
11. Traction and Temperature
12. Westpoint
More about: Desert City Soundtrack
