Category: Music

Letter Kills is one of the three bands that I started listening to after being introduced to them by the Nintendo Fusion Tour of 2004, along with AnBerlin and Autopilot Off. It’s the only one of those three that I still listen to regularly. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend any of tour’s shows that came close to here, but that’s another story altogether. Today, it’s a CD review for you.

As I was saying, I started listening to Letter Kills pretty recently, and with just cause; they’re a relatively new band. The album in question happens to be their debut, so it’s not like there was a band to follow before the release. Anyway, I didn’t listen to them a whole lot right away. I downloaded a couple songs to see what they were all about, and wasn’t too keen on the band. This happens a lot, I find, and predictably enough I listened to ’em again a couple months later. Now we have a reaction.

I think the foremost reason that I didn’t get into Letter Kills on the first try is because of one song: “For the Weekend.” It’s a slow acoustic song, and of a lower quality than most would appreciate. But when I listened to it for the first time in so long, I realized that it’s actually rather well-written (cliche as it may be) and a little touching. Then I listened to the song I’d never bothered with the first time around, entitled “Lights Out.” This is where our story truly starts.

As the first track on The Bridge, “Lights Out” does an impeccable job of hooking the listener. It’s hard, fast, and powerful. You’ll get more or less the whole Letter Kills experience with this song, but that’s no reason not to keep on listening. Follow-up songs “Don’t Believe” and “Whatever it Takes” keep the pace up well and are composed of some sweet riffs and great singing. The former even features some intense guitar soloing that will seal the deal if “Lights Out” alone didn’t make you want to listen to the rest of the CD.

“Brand New Man” takes the speed and power down a notch, and relies on more of a beat to get by than hardcore guitar work, but does it really well. “Clock is Down” also sacrifices speed, but brings the melody to the forefront, and sports a snazzy of not emotional chorus that takes the song from slow to hard rock. “Time Marches On” brings back the hard rocking sound of the first few songs, but has a feeling all to its own, as it’s got a slower yet stronger beat and blurs the line between metal and rock. “Carry You” does kind of a flip-flop and has pretty intense verses while the chorus feels a bit slower (though in reality, it isn’t).

“Hold My Heart (Part Two)” is where it really gets interesting. When you first look at the track list and see that part two comes before part one, you’re gonna be wondering what’s up. Upon listening to it, you’ll realize that even if the placement is a little unorthodox, this could be plainly used as a closing sequence to the first part. It does seem more like an opener though…

“When You’re Away” is in the running for my favourite song. It’s easily got the strongest case, but I’m still on the fence. You have to listen to this song at a high volume, or else the awesomeness of it is all lost. There’s a lot of feeling in this song, and the powerful chorus nearly makes it a shoe-in for the top spot. “Radio Up” is essentially your run-of-the-mill rock song, but it’s really good at what it does. “Shot to the Chest” is another one of those slower-verse/power-chorus types, but it does keep up the level of kickassery towards the second half of the song. Also worthy of mention is that it features a good amount of screaming, which I think lead singer Matt Shelton pulls off really well. He never overdoes it, and it never gets in the way of the lyrics.

Finally, “Hold My Heart (Part One)” is your token slow finisher, and boy does it git ‘er done. Not only does it have a lot more heart (har har) than most rock bands display in their slow songs, but surprisingly enough, the backing vocals have just as big a part as the lead vocals in making the song as touching as possible. Token it may be, but it’s certainly worth far more than the term implies.

I read in a couple other reviews that Letter Kills is actually composed of devout Christians, and if that’s cause for worry for you, forget it. The songs don’t directly reflect it, and you’d have to look pretty deeply into the subtext for anything that might hold religious value. In any case, they’re more or less your standard punk/rock band that plays a slightly above-par game. There’s not a lot special here, but I can’t in good conscience tell you that you could just as well skip over ’em. I’ve searched high and low for the disc, but no such luck, so chances are that you’re going to have to go the download route too. Let’s just hope they’re not another Span and their second album doesn’t wind up being mediocre and borderline boring.

The Good Stuff:
Starts off with a bang Excellent speed balance “Hold My Heart (Part Two)” makes a great interlude

The Bad Stuff:
Doesn’t really stand out from other punk rock albums Take-it-or-leave-it screaming

When I heard about the new HIM album back in July or whenever it was announced, I was marginally excited. Being the fan of HIM that I am, I probably should have been more excited, but all it got from me was a lackluster “Wooh” and a light air-punch. You know what I mean. If not, diagram. What can I say? I like drawing diagrams.

Fortunately, as time passed and live versions of a couple new songs from the album became available to download, my excitement rose exponentially. The two songs, “Vampire Heart” and “Killing Loneliness” were awesome. Though “Killing Loneliness” was cut short due to bass troubles, I listened to the songs many, many times. My Last.fm page might have you believe differently, but trust me, those songs were played almost too many times between when I got them and when the CD came out. And that’s pretty much where we are now. Dark Light was released on September 27, and now that I’ve had a week (and about 40 plays) to let it sink in, I think I’m ready to give it a great big review. Of course the review won’t really be that big, it is a mini-review after all.

We last heard from HIM when they released their greatest hits CD, entitled And Love Said No. Featuring two original songs and 15 other great songs, it’s been my favourite up until now (though most fans would disagree and say Love Metal is the best), but Dark Light has come and made me question that preference. There’s something wrong with that sentence, but I just can’t point it out.

All you really need to know is that Dark Light rocks. I’ll go as far as to say it’s got a bit more pop influence than what HIM’s exhibited up until now, but that’s not at all saying that they’ve changed. There’s no selling out here, we’re still talking full metal assault on your eardrums, it’s just that most of the songs seem more upbeat and whatnot than usual. And it’s not necessarily a bad thing either.

The album kicks off with “Vampire Heart”, and while it’s a great song all around, the album version is slightly less kickass than the live version. A little shake-up, but it was expected. Then we get what they’re touting as their new single, “Rip Out the Wings of a Butterfly”, or just “Wings of a Butterfly” for short. This is where that pop thing I mentioned factors in. It’s a great song, but I do have a complaint. See, the song is almost entirely chorus. There are only two verses, and they’re very short. Normally no big, but it makes the song seem kind of short and half-assed. That aside, it’s awesome. Awesome in its most aural form. After that comes along my new favourite song “Under the Rose”. While a couple other bands have songs with remarkably similar titles (read: exact same), this is not another cover. It’s got the catchiest chorus I’ve heard is some time, a really sweet guitar solo, and the rest of the song isn’t bad either. Plus it gives me an excuse to use a flower as my MSN Messenger avatar. Don’t make any assumptions. The last of the fearsome foursome that headline this album is “Killing Loneliness”. This one I actually prefer to the live version. Can’t think of anything else to say about it.

Now, it’s kind of weird, but as far as I care to say, the title track is the weakest on the disc. It’s not that “Dark Light” is a bad song, it just doesn’t stack up so well to the four kickass songs that preceded it. “Behind the Crimson Door” is average enough, and is more or less forgettable. Mind you, that even though I say that – and I’ll probably say it again before the review is done – none of the songs on the CD are bad. They’re all pretty good, some just don’t stand out as much as others. “The Face of God” is another one I really like. It’s got a really subdued maraca (I think?) part during the first half of the chorus that always catches my ear, even though you’d normally have to listen for it specifically to even notice it. “Drunk on Shadows”, unfortunately, failed to make me care much for it.

At first, I was apathetic towards the second-to-last track, “Play Dead”, but one day it just kind of popped into my head and after really listening to it, I’ve come to truly appreciate it. I’ve always liked slower songs, and “Play Dead” is great in every respect. Also, there’s some really beautiful piano work towards the end, which is always a good thing. The last song is another slower one (well, maybe not that slow), a popular way to end a CD. But aside from the correct placement, “The Nightside of Eden” is another weak song. Forget what I said about “Dark Light” being the weakest, this one just doesn’t strike me as good enough. I just don’t really like it that much.

I’m having a really tough time deciding just where I should rank Dark Light against the rest of HIM’s work. On one hand, most of the CD just plain kicks your ass, but there are a few songs that are barely worth mentioning. Very similar to the debut album Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666. Though I didn’t like the good songs on that one nearly as much as I do the ones on the newest offering. I suppose that with the aid of “Under the Rose” and “Play Dead”, I’ll have to put this one at the top of the chart.

No matter how it stacks up to it’s brethren, Dark Light is easily a keeper. If you like HIM or just rock, metal, whatever, there’s a good chance that you’ll enjoy it. It’s more than worth your $16. The front sleeve (Inside the case. It comes in an actual sleeve.) art is pretty snazzy too, so that’s a plus. A plus that makes no difference in musical worth, but it’s still a plus. Go out and buy it. All those underlines and quotation marks don’t look so good on such a large font. Website.

The Good Stuff:
“Under the Rose” Sweet cover art Maracas. Barely noticeable maracas, but maracas nonetheless. Beautiful piano on “Play Dead”

The Bad Stuff:
Not as good as past releases A little short “The Nightside of Eden” is totally forgettable

Way back when in May, I proclaimed Span to be the Band of the Month. I spouted endless praise for the Norwegian rockers, as I usually do when I give a band the honour of being Band of the Month, saying how much I loved their music and that I desperately wish any store in my vicinity would get ahold of their CD so that I could purchase it legitimately. That much I can still stand by. I also mentioned that they would be releasing a second album in the coming month or so. This is why I’ve decided to address you this fine day.

Now if you’re quick, you’ve probably picked up on the fact that I have indeed listened to said new album. What you may not have guessed is that I’m not entirely satisfied with it. It’s not that Vs. Time is a bad album. No. It’s perfectly good listening material. The thing about it is that it’s nowhere near as good as their fist go, Mass Distraction. You know what, scratch what I said about it being perfectly good, as I may contradict that phrase in the next few sentences. Paragraphs, even.

The CD starts out great, best foot forward for sure. The first three songs are great, and follow up what we’ve come to expect from Span perfectly. “Better Believe It” is an awesome song, without a doubt the best on the CD. It’s even better than a lot of stuff on Mass Distraction. For most of the song, anyway. It’s just that the last bit changes tone completely. That’s no big though, cause it’s still a great song. After that come “Cut Like Diamonds” and “The Outside”, which are also great. No problems here. It’s all great so far, but you’re about to get shocked and bored if you’re expecting another Mass Distraction.

The next song, “I’m One Of Us”, is not bad, but it’s just kind of… So what? There’s nothing special about it. It’s slow and boring. Doesn’t make you want to sing along or even leave an impression in your mind. “Living in a Suitcase” helps the situation by at least being a good song to rock out to. It’s another one that’s nothing special, but it’s a fun song to listen to. But that’s about the end of anything good I have to say. Mind you, I want to take it easy on these guys (like everything I review), so I’m probably gonna be trying to soften the blow of the words that will follow this paragraph. I’ll just say this now; the rest of the CD is very bland and you’d probably just be better off downloading it if you really want it. Even if a store did get a few copies in around here, there’s a slim chance that I’d actually pick it up.

“I’m Nothing” is just too slow, and ends up being really annoying, as he drags the notes way too much. Ever heard “The Rat Who Would Be King” by Matthew Good? It’s like that, but not quite so drawn out. And this song doesn’t get better the more you listen to it either. “Sea” is just short and lame. Actually, in this instance, that shortness turns out to be a plus. “Nowhere To Be Found” is a little better, but lacks anything to define itself, and ends up sounding like one of those songs they play every two hours on the radio that has no substance but is there because the media wants you to like it. The next song, “When I Fall”, would be a waste if it weren’t for the decent chorus.

Hitting the home stretch (and you’ll be glad it’s almost over), “Room For One” is alright, but it’s got the same issue as the rest of them. It’s just so dull and subdued. The last song, however “Wish it Would Rain” is pretty good after it gets going. Good enough to play independently from the rest of the tracks. And that’s more than enough to put it above a good three quarters of the other songs. The thing about it, is that unlike every other song on the CD, it actually conveys a little emotion. Not like the songs of Jimmy Eat World’s Futures do, but you can feel a little something from this song. Also some excellent guitar riffs. There’s a hidden track here too, but it’s shameful to actually call it a track, as it’s mostly just ambiance. Kinda stupid, and definitely skippable.

And that’s it. Pretty much summarizes the whole jist of it. A sad display for the most part, but with it’s high points. Maybe it’s just because I like Mass distraction so much that I don’t want to be open to any other sound they might try? Nah. Vs. Time is a (mostly) boring album. “Better Believe It” is super catchy and I highly recommend it and “Cut Like Diamonds”, but other than those, I can’t say it’d be worth buying. Even downloading seems like a waste of bandwidth (and it took me a good week at less than 1KB/s to secure this one). I can’t in good conscience give this one anymore than a D-. Just barely a passing grade. It makes baby Jesus cry (in pity, because he knows that Span is far better than this).

The Good Stuff:
Starts with a wicked track Ends with a wicked track

The Bad Stuff:
Mostly everything in the middle is forgettable Pales in comparison to Mass Distraction The hidden track is shitty ambiance