Labels: Deep Elm
Review by: Andy Malcolm
That Deep Elm persists with it’s “emo” thing makes me giggle. I am long past the stage where I could have a several post long argument with some numpty on a
message board about this record label as that kind of stuff is pathetic and I am embarrassed that I ever could do it in the first place, but their continued
and incorrect use of the word is particularly amusing to an arsehole emo-purist like myself.
Forgetting the semantics, lets concentrate on the music. There is not a single emo band on this record (which is basically a sampler for the labels roster),
but there are a couple of decent songs.
Planes Mistaken For Stars – I haven’t really enjoyed much by this band other than their 2nd Deep Elm CDEP, but this track here seems to be a particularly
cheesy melodic hardcore number with pretty bad vocals.
Red Animal War – complex and twisty, mathy indie rock type stuff with angry bits, way better than the other songs I have heard by RAW but the sung vocals
remind of the emo bits in that Red Hot Chilli Peppers song from last year
the Appleseed Cast – i haven’t heard this band since they sounded like a parody of sunny day real estate so wasn’t sure what to expect, well, this song here
is spacey indie or a less good version of Three Mile Pilot. Not bad though! these dudes get two tracks, i guess they are important. the second one is pretty
solid, melodic indie rock that sounds a lot maturer than other bands on here
Desert City Soundtrack – i like these guys, they sound like a cross between latter Engine Down and Three Mile Pilot (again!), good laidback indie rock, i
enjoyed their cd
Slowride – i was expecting it to be a Slowdive tribute band, instead it is cheesy punk rock like new Jimmy Eat World but not as good (!). me and simon would
bust air guitars out to this at the waterfront and get sexy with some tight moves. the harmonies sound like the Wildhearts
Lewis – this has what i would typically call the ‘deep elm sound’ although that’s a bit inaccurate these days. it’s pleasant indie rock that does the
quiet-loud thing. they sound like coldplay.
Benton Falls – ex Ethel Meserve these dudes, not that it helps. this also has the ‘deep elm sound’, really nice twinkle guitars but then the vocals kick in
and gives it the indie-cheese flavour. musically it’s listenable but the vocals irritate and they mention angel wings in the lyrics, for facks sake.
definitely a band that has failed “Eric Richter studies 101”
Brandtson – ooh, 3 bands with the ‘deep elm sound’ in a row, maybe i was wrong. more nice music with horrid over-done vocals and backups that are so sickly
that it makes me want to puke. i love jesus too.
Last Days of April – crimminy, does Deep Elm have a monopoly on bands with awful singers? Jon Bon Jovi fronting a limp as jellyfish indie rock band. blander
than brown bread covered with low fat spread margarine.
Logh – are you going to see logh tonight? who? logh. who? are you some kind of fucking dog? this has spacey guitars and guess what, i was not a
fan of the vocals but you don’t hear / notice them much. pretty mellow and probably the best song since the Desert City one, although i didn’t enjoy the prog
tendencies
the White Octave – initially, indie rock that reminds me of Built to Spill, lots of guitar strumming – it gets all loud later on. this was fine.
Camber – these guys are part of Deep Elm’s past when they used to be a label that solely put out records that covered Sunny Day Real Estate songs. if you like
Diary, you’ll probably enjoy Camber but it’s sort of like the difference between kissing a girl you like and (note: i found it impossible to complete this analogy as
everything i came up with sounded wrong)
Seven Storey – this band was alright when they had Mountain in their name
Cross My Heart – i can’t stand this band, they embody everything that is bad about this style
this Beautiful Mess – reminds me of Jim Yoshii Pile Up. downbeat, melodic indie, but the vocals are a cross between Placebo and Radiohead. bummer.
Hundred Hands – that’s a lot of hands. anyway, this is another band that sounds like Jim Yoshii Pile Up or Clarity era Jimmy Eat World. slow and tuneful, i
like the atmospheric vocals which are drifty. wow, i liked it. i am surprised.
Pop Unknown – i liked these guys EP, i think this track is from it. it’s strummy college rock with a lot of melody and decent vocals. these guys did better
at “Eric Richter Studies 101” than most, and crossed what they learned in that with a bit of Weezer
Starmarket – dodgy pop punk
Well, plenty of music on here. Not really my thing, so I’ll continue to pass on stuff we get sent for review by these guys to other
people at the C I think!. If Deep Elm put out records you like, then you will enjoy this comp. If they don’t, then you won’t. Very simple! Oh, and
according to the insert you can buy albums by many of the bands on here for a mere $14. Yikes.