A while back, I was in the mood for some new Screamo bands, as I had just listened to Underoath "They're Only Chasing Safety" album, and, while I preferred Dallas-era Underoath, I was one of the few long time fans that really liked that album, and wanted to find something similar to that style. Someone had recommended Hawthorne Heights, and found it strange that I had never heard of them. I don't pay attention to MTV, nor do I listen to any rock station that would play this sort of music, so I was one of the few in America that could claim to never hearing "Ohio is For Lovers" at the time. I bought the CD on impulse, and was kind of intrigued to see that they had a 3-guitarist line up (something not used all too often), and mistakenly raised my hopes that there would be a tad more complex melodies ensuing (please keep in mind I had never heard these guys before when making this false-expectation). Well, the result of this being that I was not just disappointed by the album, but appalled and confused at how they had become as popular as they are now.
I refused to buy the new CD, but I still was given a copy of it without being asked. I didn't really want to listen to it, but I was willing to give this band a second chance, since, after all, I didn't actually have to pay for it. My conclusion remains the same: the complaints I had about the first album are still present. Where to begin?
1) Back to the "3-guitarist line up" deal: every time I hear someone mention this, I think "The Slipknot of Emo". Why? I'm going to assume everyone knows who Slipknot is, and how they have 9 members that are essentially pulling off a sound that a group of 3 or 4 talented musicians could make (4, of course, if the singer isn't playing a guitar). Hawthorne Heights seems to do the same thing, in a way that I'm still in a state of disbelief that they actually have 3 guitarists. Having this line up is not only a silly marketing scheme to give people a preconception that the music is more complex than it actually is as present by the explanation behind the line up, but just silly all around. There really is no reason for the 3 guitarists, because what they are playing isn't that overly technical or complex, nor do the rhythms come off as incredibly different from each other. You need that many people playing guitar to pull of a set of 4 different chords? Please...
This didn't impress me about the last album, and this still rings true about this one, as well. I'm trying to think of a single song on here that utilizes the odd line up, and I'm drawing blanks. The CD starts off with This is Who We Are, where even the lead is incredibly simple, and this just carries on through out the rest of the album.
2) The screaming is utterly repugnant in the name that is good vocals. Before I hear the "if you don't like the screams, you shouldn't be listening to this music!" argument, remember that I listen to UnderOath, and absolutely love their vocal style, being actually disappointed that they cut back the screams on their new album. So this whole "you just don't like Screamo" argument doesn't work. Hawthorne Heights is an emo band, that one beautiful Tuesday afternoon thought to themselves "Kids like this new hardcore scene, maybe we should mix it into our music!".
Band Member 1: Hey, can you scream?
Member 2: I think I can... I can always try.
Member 1: Great! Scream incoherently in the background to make our music seem more "emotional" and "angry". It'll be awesome, I promise...
This guy doing these abominations called a "guttural growl" leaves me at a loss for words. I honestly cannot appreciate this, and on a rare occurrence that I do find a song to be good, the Cookie Monster's retarded cousin comes in and ruins the song... I feel that I have used the words "silly" and "unnecessary", or other synonyms way too much in this review already, but I just can't help it.
3) The lyrics: can you say "feeding a fad"? I'm sure everyone that's listened to this band remembers such classics as "cut my wrist and black my eyes", and other senseless drivel that comprised the last album. I'm here to say that this really hasn't changed too much on their newest... Actually, it's just as bad, if not worse. Hell, the opening to Say Sorry goes as following:
"These colors will not change
You change the way I see them
These words will fade
when you explain why you hate them
we are the same"
It's like some bad poetry on some 12 year old's online journal, and it just doesn't manage to get any better as the album progresses. What they talk about is trite, and the way they talk about it is just as inane and ridiculous. We get it: you hate your life, want to mutilate yourself and want "her" back in your life (if this particular "her" even exists, or is just a hypothetical situation that could happen to all of us... wait, did I surpass the number of syllables that is allowed to be in a review about this album?). I don't necessarily think that every band needs to write lyrics about their stance on their distaste towards a future where Starbucks might pop up on every other street corner in Cambodia, but at least make your lyrics interesting and seemingly important. You know, like you actually have a concern about issues in your life other than your wallet being empty. These lyrics are, once again, hackneyed, and just cashing in on this so-called "emo fad" running around middle schools and high schools today.
4) Boring delivery. Here's what not only ticks me off about this band, but also confuses me, at the same time. Yes, it is subjective, and cannot be proven as a fact either way when trying to debate "the catchiness" of Hawthorne Heights' music. That's the lovely thing about pop music in general, is that a lot of people tend to actually have a preference on the matter on "who sounds better, N'Sync or Backstreet Boys?" when I stand in the middle asking "what's the difference?" However, even as I accept this, I cannot for the LIFE of me figure out how these guys became so popular. I guess Ohio Is For Lovers would be an acceptable answer, but really, what makes these guys so great? Maybe I'm in a vast minority when I say I just don't get it. This album is the same as the last: you got a catchy single (record label says "Money in the bank, CHA CHING!"), and a load of other mediocre to dreadful songs. I do admit that this album, with the exception of the last song, is a LOT more lively than the dreadful debut, and I will credit them for that. I will also say that the filler problem is not nearly as bad on this album, as it was on their last, at the expense that most of the songs don't really advance in complexity or structure (a new word in the review, for once).
As far as I'm concerned, I would say Ohio is For Lovers was the catchiest song on the first, and Niki FM was the only other tolerable song on the album (the rest being pure waste). On this, their single Say Sorry was a decent start, with Dead in the Water, and Pens and Needles following close behind. See? An example of progression at its absolute finest!
I think I've given this band way too much energy than it deserves by writing this review. I'm not going to break down the songs, and give a reason why I like or dislike them, I'm going to stick by my complaints listed above as you can expect me to say the same exact thing for each song (if you need one: open up a text document, copy/paste the song list, and put this by each of the following: "catchy, but bland, unispiring, lackluster songwriting, mixed with poor execution", and you got my "breakdown" for the songs). I'm going to sum it up with this: this album is NOT a good album for the reasons above. There is just too many faults about this record that make it hard to listen to. Why 2 stars instead of one, since I have done nothing but bash the living hell out this band? Well, they are competent (not GREAT or even GOOD) musicians, I'll give them that; I'd be exaggerating if I said that this band sounded like a high school punk group that insists on covering Blink 182. The GOOD:
-the guitarists know how to play the guitar, and if they don't, then they are doing a damn fine job at acting like they do. Color me convinced...
-the drummer seems in beat, and definitely knows that he has a snare and at least one cymbal..
-top notch sound quality. Truly, an exceptional performance from the sound crew giving me the opportunity to hear all 4 or 5 chords that this band plays at the best quality possible. Bravo!
-it's just a fad, and fads go away eventually...
If you are like I was back when the debut came out, and looking for some screamo/emo/punk/what have you that resemble this type of music and has an accessible sound, you can do a whole lot better than both of Hawthorne Heights' releases. Try THE USED, UNDEROATH's They're Only Chasing Safety release (hell, even check out some of their older metal offerings), ARMOR FOR SLEEP, COHEED AND CAMBRIA, SAOSIN, and the list goes on and on. There are so many just-as-accessible bands out there that offer so much more than Hawthorne Heights. However, if you are a kid that's currently sitting in his room reading this review, and angry as you think about how much you hate your parents for grounding you the other day for not mowing the lawn (you tortured soul, you... call Child Services if they even dare make you take out the trash or do your homework), and want music to "cut your wrist and black your eyes" to, then more than likely you already have this album, and clicked the "No" button, so I'm not here to change your mind. Same with people who don't like this band.
I'm certainly not going to prevent these guys from making yet another million off another mediocre album, but I just had to give my input on "Music Label X's cash cow" (nice touch on the 2 different album covers, by the way... really, that was just great).
Over all, not a terrible CD, if you can get past the screams. (Not good enough to release two versions of the same CD, however, even if it did have different artwork and DVDs inside.) Personally, the screaming "thing" doesn't add to the songs because it's such an OVERUSED device in several types of music nowadays, so it makes me want to skip ahead and see what's next rather than listen to the song finish. Guys in H.H., if you ever read any of these reviews, look for a different gimmick than "Emo-Screamo". If you want to wear your hearts on your sleeves, that's fine, but when you blend in with everyone else, your music will get lost in the shuffle. That's not a good thing, right?
As far as the screaming "thing" goes, a guy sounding like his [...] are being squeezed in a bench vise WHILE an unlubricated watermelon is being slowly inserted in his [...] is NOT singing, I don't care who is doing it...
Imagine, if you could, a Linkin Park/Blink-182 hybrid band, with *Nsync on vocals. Always been a dream of yours? No? What about a nightmare then? Well, awaken screaming and sweating no more! Ladies and gentlemen, may I present Hawthorne Heights!
This is so unbelievably awful it is a surprise no one had thought of it before. Grab a few sickly sweet melodies which even Good Charlotte would be ashamed of, throw in some guitars with as much bite as a toothless slug and hype the hell out of it. Make it edgy by stealing a couple of "def metl" vocal lines from a Slipknot wannabe, and you're about there. Stick in a few limp "angsty" lyrics. Stir. Repeat twelve times. The end result has the musical integrity of a Milli Vanilli reunion, but at least the Vanilli boys could dance. This is so awful it will have you wishing for drivel like The Rasmus or Franz Ferdinand for relief.
"If Only You Were Lonely" is cynical, radio friendly slop of the highest order. It is the sort of thing your eight-year-old sister would like for about ten minutes before realising Crazy Frog is less annoying. I'd rather catch scabies than listen to this again. I'm not even going to use it as a coaster because it would make beer go flat.
WOW is the only word to describe this album. I own both editions of the old album "The Silence in black and white" and thats a pretty good cd, a little generic, yes, a little overdone, yes but still nice to listen to. This cd blows their old music out of the water! I was so stunned by the awesomeness of this album that i cant even find words to describe it. This is one of my only cds that i can listen to straight through with no skipping.
here is a breakdown of the tracks.
This is who we are / 10/10 One of the best songs on the album, very catchy and is a great way to start the cd
We are so last year / 7/10 Still a very good song, but is more of a filler track than anything else.
Language Lessons / 8/10 Very catchy, and not bad on the lyrics side either ;)
Pens and Needles / 10/10 One of my other favorites off the album. Fairly original tune that i cant say i have heard anywhere before
Saying Sorry / 7/10 The first single off the cd. Catchy as hell but i really dislike the lyrics. They are very simple. Least favorite song off the cd but still love it! :)
Dead in the water / 11/10 Breakthrough track in HH history!!! Best song they have ever done or written.
I am on your side / 7/10 Not bad, but i feel this is more of another filler.
Breathing in sequence / 10/10 Another very good song! I love the tune they use in this song, its soft, yet still has a harder edge to it.
Cross me off your list / 9/10 I really enjoy this song. I cant really describe it because its so unique in sound its very slow though, which is very pleasant to listen to.
Where can I stab myself in the ears / 10/10 I love this song. Its one of the ones where after its done, i skip back to listen to it again :p Extremely catchy Chorus.
Decembers / 6/10 Least favorite track on the album, VERY slow.
Overall i feel is one of the best albums so far this year, and i have a feeling it will be one of my top favorites for months to come.
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