Suicide Note "Too Sick to Dance (Forever Fucked)" CD
[Ferret]
Damn, this is a shitload different than their last record! I should've figured as much having seen tambourine, maracas, organ, toy piano, melodica, acoustic guitar, and... running water credited in the booklet. (Don't worry, such instrumentation is not a prominent force here.) It's definitely still frantic and dissonant, but in much more of a wide-ranging indie-ish sort of vein as opposed to anything associated with the heavier metalcore they were dishing out last time around. There are still some hyper distorted screams and caustic picking patterns with really abrasive textures going on, but still... somehow the music isn't really too overly heavy, you know? And oftentimes the guitars and vocals aren't too distorted either, they're grating and have a bite, but it's more over the top due to note choice and playing style than it is actual tonality. Maybe imagine Converge's middleground moments being fused with The Jesus Lizard or something. The record covers an immense range of dynamics and styles, though. "Waiting, Waiting, Waiting" sways from borderline irritating moments to excellent dissonant melodies and catchy arrangements; "Full Price" is softer and more melodic with a restrained approach that initially lightens the load across the board - lessening the percussive force, mixing the vocals lower, etc. - before building to a rather ominous level; the odd "Lullaby" layers sparkling keyboards against a decidedly more destructive chord progression that has an Engine Kid sort of drive to it; "Los Angeles" is nothing but ultra dry acoustic guitar and unexpectedly soft singing; "Vultures" and "Robotic Balloons" ease up once more with slightly more jangly compositions that effectively intertwine subtly rocked out guitar parts within their rhythmic structures; and closer "Tongue-Tied" leads into an unlisted acoustic instrumental that sounds... quite strange... bringing in the tambourine and some of that action. The production was handled by Kurt Ballou, so of course it sounds pretty god damn good. It's nice and dry with a great sense of cohesiveness, though never sacrificing clarity. My favorite aspect is that the pulsing bass tone is always dead center, filling out the core of the mix and making its presence known without really playing a lead role or anything. The percussion sounds fucking awesome too, and the guitars work perfectly for the style (as mentioned - they're not necessarily heavy, but they have the right kind of raw edge). Vocally I really like the placement of the screaming, not too deep in the mix, but not out front, and the layering of vocal parts really adds to the movement of the tracks. The layout here looks pretty unexpected with a pastel sort of color scheme and lots of weird collaged imagery that's very stylized in delivery. The lyrics are highly unusual as well, coming off more like straight up rock 'n' roll lyrics or something: "Let's get hit - you know you've got to wake up. Let's get fired up! He keeps saying the same thing. Let's get fired up! Can't be so easy to swallow. Let's get fired up!" Interesting stuff. I'm not gonna lie, I liked "You're Not Looking So Good" better, but this record is a bold step that sees the band building off of their past without even coming close to repeating themselves. Very nice. I certainly respect the move, and look forward to seeing where they go from here. (7/10)
Running time - 40:06, Tracks: 14
[Notable tracks: Waiting, Waiting, Waiting, Lullaby, Los Angeles, Victory Song]
Ferret Music - http://www.ferretstyle.com

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