Wow. Even though I didn’t want to like it this La Dispute record simply based on the ridiculously long-winded title, Somewhere At The Bottom Of The River Between Vega And Altair, it’s actually really good. These guys are from Grand Rapids, Michigan and this is their debut full-length (although it doesn’t necessarily sound like it). The album is full of that ultra-emotional sounding post-hardcore that just has to be full of pain, loss, rage, and anger that I like but (for the most part) find a bit over the top and tiring to listen to. Even so, La Dispute do this about as good as anyone else. It’s easy to draw quick comparisons to mewithoutYou but I prefer to imagine this is what Thursday might sound like if didn’t dislike ‘em so much. Many of the songs on Somewhere At The Bottom Of The River… seem to meander about and lose focus, but there are more than great moments to make up for it. Vocally, the band (and specifically singer Jordan Dreyer) alternates between monotone spoken/sung passages and shouted phrases while the rest of the guys in the band play uncomplicated but poignant post-hardcore that isn’t necessarily ultra-technical but hella tight, perfectly executed, and full of fury. Get a copy of this now on No Sleep Records.
MP3 | La Dispute – Said The King To The River Somewhere At The Bottom Of The River…
MP3 | La Dispute – The Castle Builders Somewhere At The Bottom Of The River…
Yes yes yes. Best album released last year in my humble opinion. These guys are so awesome. Glad to see them gettin some pub
I usually hate emotional hardcore, but this album is awesome. I really think it’s the vocals that set it apart from the rest of the bands. Oh, and while I can’t really stand most Thursday… they are one of the few screamo bands I respect: most of their songs are actually political and not whiny “my girl left me” that seems to plague most of the screamo genre.