Various - Emo Is Awesome

  by Benjamin Howarth

published: 12 / 7 / 2003

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Review

In early 2002 the NME ran their last cover story that actually meant anything at all to me. They proclaimed emo as the future of rock and roll, but were aware enough to tip their hat to the genre’s history,which at that point had never been given any recognition by the music press. They also wrote about some new bands, and it seemed quite apparent that these were making the most exciting music at that time. But the “indie” scene in Britain is pretty backward, stuck in a rut and lets be honest, boring. The "tastemakers" and a lot of the zine journos just couldn’t hack it that the kids listen to a type of music that they didn’t "discover". The NME has lost the youth market to 'Kerrang!' (Isn’t rock and roll for the kids?? Surely they know best…..) and had to backpeddle and launch 'No Name', which featured a lot of horrible greasy indie bands that nobody cared about, and then 'Garage Rock', the most boring type of music in the history of the world. Ever. In some quarters emo has gone back to being a term of abuse, a way of saying that a band sucks. Luckily for us, America is far better than Britain for music. In America, although there’s a lot of rubbish there also, they are happy to accept that emo is the most intelligent type of music out there, and they keep on letting us Brits hear it. Let's re-stress this now. Bands like the Get Up Kids, Rival Schools, the Ataris, Jimmy Eat World and Saves The Day are amazing, amazing bands. Intelligent lyrics that mean a lot, catchy melodies, great musicianship. Furthermore, they treat their fans with a bit of respect; they don’t act like rock stars – even if they are! Where so many bands have created a calculated vision of what they think a good band should be (even some of the good ones), the good emo bands pour their heart and soul out on stage. That’s why AFI sell out shows wherever they go, why people know the words to every Ataris' song, why people openly cry at Dashboard Confessional shows, and also why they "quite like" The White Stripes. Deep Elm is THE emo label. The only way you’ll find a bad Deep Elm record is by putting one of their stickers over a logo for another label. It has given the world Brandtson, Pop Unknown, Camber, Cross My Heart and the Appleseed Cast. In recent years it has recognised the progression in the emo genre, as the influence of Sigur Ros, Radiohead and some of the art rock bands is absorbed, and –although the new bands have a less hardcore based sound and tend to be less energetic – their recent releases are their most beautiful to date. This is the first label sampler that has managed to reflect all the sounds that Deep Elm offers to the world. Let's see. You have Planes Mistaken For Stars playing incredible, driving and passionate hardcore in the finest traditions of the genre (What a great band name!). You have Brandtson’s 'Boys Lie', featuring some of the most beautiful harmonies one could ever conceive. Last Days Of April play a stirring form of orchestral indie rock, and their 'Aspirins And Alcohol' is one of the best songs I have heard in years. You get two songs from the Appleseed Cast, which really is a privilege. They are one of best bands around today. You also get a track from Appleseed Aaron’s side project Hundred Hands, which is another stunner. Then there’s Logh, Benton Falls, Red Animal War………jeez, I could mention every track. Look, just buy the bloody thing okay? It’s only a few pounds. Garage rock is like getting a greasy kebab, and burnt fries. Temporarily satisfying, but bad for you in the long term and certainly not fulfilling. Emo is like a sandwich, packed with extra salad and on crusty wholemeal bread, even more delicious and good for you. Emo is awesome!

Track Listing:-

1 Planes Mistaken For Stars– Copper & Stars
2 Red Animal War– Jambalaya
3 The Appleseed Cast– Reaction
4 Desert City Soundtrack– What To Do In Case Of Fire
5 Slowride– Computer
6 Lewis – Feet On The Ground
7 Benton Falls– Angel On Hiatus
8 Brandtson– Boys Lie
9 Last Days Of April– Aspirins And Alcohol
10 Logh– Yellow Lights Mean Slow Down
11 The Appleseed Cast– Forever Longing The Golden Sunsets
12 The White Octave– Appeals For Insertion
13 Camber– Hollowed-Out
14 Seven Storey*– Unknown Satellite
15 Cross My Heart– Dornier
16 This Beautiful Mess– Clean
17 Hundred Hands– Farewell
18 Pop Unknown– This Guy's Ready For Bed
19 Starmarket – Into The Well