Modern Life Is WarHere we have one of the most talked about releases of the year, rightfully so considering all the praise that "Witness" and "My Love, My War" garnered over the years from fans and critics alike. The biggest challenge this album will face is the fact that the hype machine has been all over this album, unlike when "Witness" dropped. And there is no easier way to kill a record than too much hype because 9 times out of 10 it sets you up for disappointment. I'd rather be pleasantly surprised by a good album with no expectations going in, than being let down by the so-so buzz album, same thing for movies too :cough: The Departed :cough:. Another thing is people will be reluctant to give this album it's proper chance, I haven't seen too many people drooling over the songs that the band posted on their MySpace page.
While "My Love, My Way" was a bit more aggressive and fast paced, "Witness" was a lot more developed and was substantially slowed down, allowing vocalist/lyricist Jeffrey Eaton to recite his hardcore poetry over the dark and dreary instrumentation. The band has even slowed down the tempos a bit more this time around, though there are the bursts of speed here and there. For the most part the songs are slow and churning but the layering and prodding basslines help to make for an interesting listen. The one thing many people will notice about this album is that gang vocals are used, especially in "Stagger Lee". Many have said that this takes away from the vocal performance, I don't agree with that. I think they were tastefully used and the spots that they were used in were ideal.
The band couldn't have selected a more fitting song to start off this 11 track full length. "Useless Generation" is by far my favorite track of the album. The snare roll that opens up the song just sends chills down my spine and slow/fast/slow formula for the first verse is truly a head cracker.
I commend Eaton for not solely relying on the rural lyrics, though there are some of those songs on here, he is able to poetically touch on a couple of things. One of the most talked about songs on this release is the track "Stagger Lee", which is about a murderer from 1895. There have been many bands that have had a song about Stagger Lee, and the band gives credit to some of them in the booklet. One of my favorite lyrical songs, especially after watching American Hardcore was the track, "Fuck The Sex Pistols". It's about the "jaded burnouts" that have given up on hardcore and Eaton screams out at them "Fuck the glory days! We don't care what you think. We don't care what you say. You don't get to decide. It's ours. Go away. Shut up." There is a wonderful track ("These Mad Dogs of Glory") about some of the more heralded writers and the hardships they endured. Another track that really stood out to me lyrically was the song "Night Shift At The Potato Factory" which is about how we sell our lives for a meager paycheck and if we plan to change our course we are the only ones that can do it, we must not forgot our dreams. One of the odder themes of the record is the song "The Motorcycle Boy Reigns", which I assume is about one of Jeffrey Eaton's family members considering the song is dedicated to Turbo Tom Eaton. The song is more about the genuine impression he made on Jeffrey but there's obviously lines about the joy of riding that Tom had.
The tone of the album is about where you would like it to be for the types of sounds the band is producing. It is far from being polished but it is even farther from being "dirty". The guitar tone is very rich and emanates the dark, somber mood of the music/lyrics. The bass can always be heard prodding about in the background, rounding out the mix nicely. The drums are warm and dense, the snare sounds especially good. The vocals have ideal placement, as usual. And oh yeah, this was mastered by Alan Douches so yup, this thing sounds as good as possible.
Oh man, what an awesome layout. I'm always a fan of the metallic silver ink over a black background, which is all over this glossy finish. I do have one complaint however, the paper used is quite thin and is susceptible to getting easily torn or damaged. But I digress. The front cover has tons of ornamentation, most of which looks like it was taken from the dollar bill. When you take out the booklet it folds out into a mini poster that spans 6 panels it's really breathtaking how much detail and ornamentation there is throughout the entire design. Quite honestly, it's one of the nicest designs I've ever come across. The lyrics are displayed on the opposite side over the silver metallic ink, with the lyrics printed in black. The little captions that are below each song title was a nice touch, it gives a little background to the song whether it's a quote, who the song is dedicated too, etc,. And the logo that appears to be the actual front cover is merely a cardboard sleeve. Overall, this is one of finer layouts I have come across.
Rating: 4/5
Songs Worthy of Replay: Useless Generation, Humble Streets, These Mad Dogs of Glory and Stagger Lee
Synopsis: It's not just because it's the cool thing to say, "Ah, it's not as good as their first album", because this album is good for many reasons but to me "Witness" was just so good and had such high replay value and had absolutely gut churning lyrics that it'll be hard to top. I will say though, I like this more than "My Love, My Way", but it's not by much.
Even though a lot of people haven't been feeling the songs on the myspace, check them out for yourself if you haven't already, if you dig the tunes, don't be an asshole and rip the CD, go out and buy it:
Equal Vision Records
Modern Life Is War's MySpace