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What's new in music from the friendly folks at KWLC

Date 4/8/2004 12:00 AM | Topic: Arts & Culture

Onelinedrawing: emo's last hurrah?
Zach Hawkins

I suppose it's time we talk about emo. Some people cringe when they hear this word. Some scream and start reciting Dashboard Confessional lyrics. Others just look confused.

I don't want to get into a full history, but you should know that emo is sort of the emotionally unstable stepchild of hardcore punk. The lyrics are usually intimate and confessional, like something you would read in a diary. Also, it used to be that most emo bands were proudly independent of anything commercial or corporate.

This, of course, is no longer the case (made visible by the dawn of "emo" characters on television shows like Fox's "The OC"). Emo has been discovered and the exploitation has begun. This means, of course, that "emo" will be watered down until it just washes away. Such is mainstream.

So why this brief history? I just wanted to explain why many bands in the indie world will look at you like you've insulted their mothers if you call them emo. I also wanted to explain why if you go into a record store and ask for something emo you're going to walk away with Good Charlotte, and not the new album, The Volunteer, from Onelinedrawing . which is too bad.

Onelinedrawing is Jonah Matranga. He plays guitar, sings sensitively and writes songs about heartbreak, among other things.

Fans of Dashboard and Owen will love him. But I hesitate to call him emo because that word has been sacrificed to the bigwigs at MTV. I think Jonah would understand and agree.

Check out these lyrics from his song "Livin' Small": "If you're in it for the bright lights and the battle scars / It'll turn you into a liar, man."

The Volunteers is a big step for Jonah. On a number of tracks, he puts aside the sparse instrumentation and wispy vocals and pounds out some straight-up indie rock tunes.

In a way, this album seems like Jonah's way of saying goodbye to emo. I'd say he's almost over it. In doing so, he has discovered a new world of musical possibilities while maintaining the emotional sincerity and integrity that make "emo" fans love him. So, if you're getting tired of sitting through emo's funeral, I suggest you check this album out.

Break the Silence defies description
Lindsay Kimball

Melodic hardcore screamo indie-ish punk emo. Sounds like a verbal diarrhea of a bunch of music genres, but it's the closest thing I can think of to pinning down the nearly indefinable music of Break the Silence.

These Chicago natives mix poppy punk vocals and the screaming of screamo on emo lyrics with the double pedal of a bass drum for a hardcore metal feel under indie rocker type melodies. It's like these guys took all the coolest genres, put them in a blender and hit puree.

The mixture is smooth and flawless, which is impressive considering the band came together less than a year and a half ago from the remnants of former bands 88 Fingers Louie, SKG, All Else Fails, and Every Light Red to write their debut album called Near Life Experience.

The mixture of influences is evident in the fast-paced "Six Foot Revolver" with speedy guitar riffs and melodic vocals mixed with a rough scream. The catchy riffs and tight drumming stand out in the screamo ballad, "Natoma."

The musical variety of Near Life Experience offers something new in a world of increasingly generic punk.

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