Album Reviews :: Long Knives and Superhaven
Written by: Andrea Janov, CC2K Music Editor
Long Knives :: This is Your Life :: Count Your Lucky Stars
Long Knives are a 90s indie/punk/emo hybrid who self identifies as an emo band. I don’t know if I am having a hard time calling them an emo band because I like them so much and I am not an emo fan. They have great scratchy guitars, and the vocals are robust and can fill a room (two traits that usually do not describe an emo record).
This is Your Life is a 4 song EP that punk kids from every subgenera will find something in. The overall there is a lot of excitement and fury in their sound, it is slightly chaotic yet laid back, it is accessible and identifiable. The vocals are reminiscent of Discount, but the music is messy and aggressive in the best ways.
The first song, Bones is probably my favorite on this EP, it has an undeniable killer hook and layered vocals that beg you to sing along. Track 2, Unwelcome Guest, is a great commentary about not fitting in or feeling at home anywhere. Home, by contrast has a feeling of comfort to it and the last track Bastante has a great attitude and voice that oscillates from rebelling to understanding, all in a very understated way.
So though, I will stand by my “this is not emo” statement, no one can deny that the lyrics give this album an emo feel. They are introspective and unafraid to go into that emotional space.
Stream This is Your Life
Superhaven :: Ours is Chrome :: SideOneDummy
Superhaven’s, Ours is Chrome, is full of grungy distorted guitars and smooth voices. The diametric pair sounds very cool, very new wave, very experimental, very 90s indie. Heavy drum beats, scratchy guitars, and a polished voice come together to form a really unique sound, that only gets better as you turn it up.
Though the vocals are always cool and smooth, the guitars are hard and dirty. They play with sound and balance to achieve the perfect amounts of distortion and melody. All the Pain has a great element of chaos and Leach has a great metal edge to it. Gushin’ Blood, is probably my favorite track, it is distorted and menacing in a slightly intoxicating way, yet has this undercurrent of melody in the hook.
Ours is Chrome is a whole album full of songs that you listen to in an unmarked dark damp basement club until the early hours of the morning.