Emanuel
Soundtrack to a Headrush (Vagrant)
by Scott Hefflon
I hate screamo and melodic emocore and whatever else they call the tousled-hair pussy “rock” that gets teenage girls wet. It’s all posing, looking sensitive and troubled, all whining and yelping and screaming about girls who think they’re losers with silly pants and no talent or originality, and it all sells like hotcakes because there are a lot of stupid people in this world.
Self-loathing singer/guitarist Matt Breen writes thoughtful lyrics without being a wanker, and writes swerving melodies. Pop melodies are hard to write without sounding formulaic. You know the chorus is coming, and you know the key it’s gonna be in and that there’ll be layered harmonies to make it huge, but Emanuel have the good sense to slip an icecube in your shorts to keep you on your toes. They spank your ass with a “huh?” chord, an offbeat bridge, just a little something thrown into the singalong to trip you up the first few times and make you sing a part that’s not coming up for another four bars. And they wink at you playfully.
People either love or hate Emanuel. There’s no middle ground here. I usually hate this kinda stuff cuz it’s either pussy Saves the Day shit trying to howl, or it’s metal/hardcore tuff guys trying to prove they’re not one-dimensional knuckledraggers. Emanuel write solid pop rock: Angsty and heavy without being screamo metal, melodic and catchy without being sissy whine.
(www.vagrant.com)