I’m going to be straight up with you right now. We are going to be venturing into a bit of the “emo” and “hardcore” compounds this week. But that doesn’t mean you should stop reading. I only say that because lead singer and founder Aaron Gillespie is most notable for being the drummer and co-vocalist for the band Underoath. Although the openly Christian band falls under such sub-genres as “screamo” and “metalcore”, Gillespie’s side-project-turned-full-on-band takes the edge off a bit. Unlike some artists who venture off physically from their bands but don’t really venture off musically, The Almost at least stray from Underoath just enough to be recognized as their own band.
The Almost is a Floridian band who seem to have ripped a page directly out of Maurice Sendak’s “Where The Wild Things Are” with their album art for their sophomore release, Monster Monster. What great timing, right? When I first saw their album art, I thought the album was going to be directly related to the movie. Apparently, it is not. At any rate, the effort is a decent one that experiments a little more with different genres.
The album’s first single, “Hands,” is probably the strongest track of the record. Starting off with just stomps, claps and Gillespie’s harmonizing voice and making way to quick guitars and a piano a fast vibe instantaneously, but the verses can be kind of slow in comparison. Luckily, the choruses sound much like the intro. “With our hands up high/We’re screaming/Whoa, whoa oh!” is definitely a catchy melody and the fact that it’s coupled by a subtle echo effected guitar makes it sound even cooler.
Monster Monster‘s second (and weaker) single is “Lonely Wheel.” The echo effects and guitar melody in the intro of this song sound very much like Underoath, unlike “Hands.” Actually, the whole song sounds a bit like Gillespie’s bigger band, but it’s not overwhelmingly similar. In other words, Spencer Chamberlain isn’t around screaming his head off. I’m not saying I hate the screaming; I love Underoath and they’re awesome for when you want to rock your head off, but it’s nice to focus on Gillespie’s vocals. But I digress. This song has a bit of a slower pace and isn’t really anything special. I’m actually not a fan of this song but the “safe” approach (sounding like his more successful band). The twangy guitars are very Underoath-esque but the guitars aren’t quite as hard, which is a way to separate themselves.
Speaking of twangy guitars, “Hand Grenade” sounds ridiculously similar to an old Country/Western song! Here’s to speaking of experimenting with genres. You would NEVER hear this type of song coming from Underoath. I actually really like this song, perhaps because it’s so out there and I wasn’t expecting this type of song at all from the Almost. Aside from the acoustic guitar, there is an accordion, bells, piano, a rattly snare drum and that twangy guitar is featured so prominently that there is no way of missing it. This is another slower song but if it was any faster, it wouldn’t go at all. A great song and change of pace from the rest of the album, “Hand Grenade” is definitely a highlight off of Monster Monster for me.
The Almost’s sophomore release isn’t really a slump but it doesn’t match their debut, Southern Weather, either. That being said, it’s not a horrible listen. I feel like I’m knocking down Monster Monster but I’m really not. I’m just a little disappointed because it really isn’t anything special. Who knows if it’ll grow on me and you, though! Give it a whirl (as if you’re still using cd’s) and let us know what you think!
“Monster”
Bonus: “Little Drummer Boy” – This is Sara’s favorite Christmas song! Sorry to say that their cover is meh.
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- Album Review – Colin Munroe is the Unsung Hero by Colin Munroe
- Artist of the Week – Coldplay
- Editorial – Why U2 and Linkin Park Suck!
- The Enter The Shell Show – Seis de Mayo feat. Greg Holden
- Artist of the Week – CAKE