album review ! :3
emery - the weak's end (2004)
xxherlastwalkxx 11/10/2023
sorry about the lack of stuff lately! i've been sick for a whole week. it sucks. i'm going to be sniffling all through my campus's student organization diwali celebration. >_< anyway! i'm here with a classic today, one for which my opinions have shifted around quite a bit! so this'll be fun:P
the album opens with "walls" which is not only an essential 2000's emo song but also a very good song. i don't think it's a surprise that i choose to point out this specifically, but the breakdown is one of my favorites ever. i don't know what any of the band member's names are, but i think it's cool that the guy who plays keyboards and screams has gone into the crowd during this bit every time. at least he's done it in every video i've seen and the one time i've seen them live. but it seems to be a thing he does. and that's awesome. the next two tracks, "the ponytail parades" and "disguising mistakes with goodbyes," stand out a little less, but to be fair they had pretty heavy competition. they're both very solid songs, and i saw them play "ponytail parades" live, which made me respect that one a lot more. i think it's worth pointing out by now the arrangements on this album -- it seems like each guitar is playing something different almost at all times, which is used really well. it's not the typical "power chords + octaves" sort of thing that a lot of bands kind of default to, though. no hate on the octaves, they're so popular for a reason (COUGH your sword versus my dagger COUGH), but i think that emo lends itself really well to being more melodic, and it can be really pretty to let one of the guitars play its own little melody/arpeggio/thing. idk what to call it. but underoath did it a lot on define the great line which means that it's good.
the next two songs are my favorite!! "by all accounts (today was a disaster)" not only has one of the best song titles i've ever heard, it's also the best song on the album. the intro is so beautiful and so are the lyrics. the lyrics definitely thin out at the end, but i feel like the instrumental really picks it up as the vocals get less busy. "how long until it's my day to die" ugh. so good. "fractions" is another great song, i've always found it really interesting how almost every section sounds so different from each other yet the song as a whole is still cohesive.
personally, i feel like this is where the standout tracks kind of end -- i guess there's "the note from which a chord is built," which is brighter-sounding than the rest of the album and, obviously, the closer, but they're still underwhelming compared to "walls," "by all accounts," and "fractions." i don't think that any of these last five songs are bad, but i do think that the style that emery has on this album can get a little less exciting after a while. their songwriting is definitely innovative and interesting, but it's not always as gratifying as other popular emo albums, even some of those that are more "experimental," like three cheers for sweet revenge or discovering the waterfront. i guess you could argue whether those two are comparable to this one but you get my point so whatever. i can't have only good takes. anyway. i just think that the thing about experimental music is that sometimes it gets so experimental that it kind of just isn't fun anymore? lmao. what i mean is like some artists try so hard to make something that sounds "new" that they end up coming full circle and each song on their album sounds the same as the other and it's really boring. like maybe the album sounds cool and new and interesting but the songs don't have a lot of distinction and it's really hard to sit through. i feel a little this way about this album. each song stands out if you give each one time, but i feel like you kind of have to find the ones you really like and be kind of just ok with the rest of the album, if that makes sense. i think that if the performances were more energetic and the production was a little less fuzzy, the songs could stand on their own a little more, but also if they did that then the feel of the whole album would be completely different and i'm not sure how to feel about that. even if i've just spent a paragraph complaining about how the songs feel too samey, i do really like the vibe of the whole album. when i do listen to this album, it's for the album, not the songs, which is a very good thing! it's just a shame that i can't praise the songs as much.
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