Elliott – U.S. Songs – Review

Elliott

U.S. Songs (Revelation)
by Tim Den

More and more bands are being tagged “emo” that don’t strike me as any more “emotional” than any other genre of music… If the goal is to evoke as many emotions as possible with its melodies, than why do most of these bands insist on hiring weak singers? In fact, most “emo” singers are as tone deaf as their melodies are uninspiring (and uninteresting, unoriginal, unchallenging… and did I mention unemotional?). Take Mineral, for instance: I love their music as much as the next Sensitive Guy, but shit on me if the guy’s not stretching out one goddamn note through every song. Is that supposed to touch me in my special place? I guess I shouldn’t put all the blame on the singers, since the musicians themselves can’t break away from regurgitating D-major riffs over and over again. It’s not the most flexible of material to sing over. If you’re going to tag a type of music as “emo,” you’d better live up to the definition. How can people say something like Piebald is emotional but not The Beatles? Or Shades Apart? Or even Bad fuckin’ Religion? Where is the emotion? Where are the melodies that are supposed to capture listeners?

Apparently, the melodies have packed their bags and moved to Kentucky. Featuring former members of Falling Forward, Empathy, and By The Grace Of God, Elliott busts out of its hometown with spit on their lips and melodies swinging. From the first track, “Miracle,” the band takes you on a trip to Hooks Central: sweet vocal lines so infectious, they puncture your memory glands and stay there for weeks. Guitarist/vocalist Chris Higdon swims between octaves with his light-tenor voice, somehow managing to sound as catchy as he is hurt. His melodies will have you on your toes, while his clear-yet-sometimes-rugged delivery will show the world what a singer should be. The rest of the band is as flexible as the frontman (especially drummer Kevin Ratterman), churning out steady rhythmic crunch with expert timing. Stand out tracks such as “Dionysus Burning,” “The Watermark High,” and “Every Train that Passes” (which, along with “Second Story Skyscraper,” sneaks in Quicksand-esque vocal lines without being a blatant rip-off) are truly worthy of being labeled “emo.” Finally, the genre gains another competitor besides Jimmy Eat World and The Promise Ring. Take notes, people: this is the way it’s done.
(PO Box 5232 Huntington Beach, CA 92615)