Labels: CYT…CYB!!!
Review by: Oli Saunders
A screamo split between two UK bands? Yes please. I was both intrigued and a little concerned when Mikee, the drummer of Ravachol, said that these songs sounded pretty different from the demo tracks – he had previously told me that they were thinking of adding piano and violins to some new songs – however, they’ve put that on hold for the time being and, well, to my ears, it sounds pretty similar to the demo! The first track opens up with some nice urgent spoken words from Emma before she begins her sung/screamed outburst as the instruments jangle away. The second track is more removed, with a bit more structure and variance. There are proper sung vocals from the halfway point and then Emma additionally screams over the top, before the track fades out. Overall, I like lots of aspects of this band; they remind me of a modern take on ‘125, Rue Montmartre’ or ‘The Lazurus Plot’. Not as good it has to be said (though perhaps it’s because I am stuck in the nineties) but they are progressing and with some further tinkering have the potential to be excellent.
We Are Tigers! do combine violin with screamo. It’s epic stuff at the start of the first track and the instruments themselves nail the post-rock side of things. The vocals are okay but just seem a little too encompassing. What puts me off is then as the song shifts into a faster gear the vocals turn to singing and it just does not sound good. The song then alternates between fast and slow but by now I’ve lost interest in it. The second track is nice but bizarre – a background of melody with spoken words over the top is nice enough, and I have no idea what he is on about!
Overall, I pretty much guarantee the following; oldjacks will not like this at all, newjacks will be all over it. I am left somewhat in the middle.
10 December 2011