Give up the Ghost - We're Down Til We're Underground Review

Give up the Ghost We're Down Til We're Underground

full review

Tracklist:
1. (It's Sometimes Like It Never Started)
2. Love American
3. Young Hearts Be Free Tonight
4. Since Always
5. Calculation Nation
6. The Last Supper After Party
7. Crime Scene
8. Bluem
9. A.E.I.O.U
10. Crush of the Year
11. No Lotion Could Ever Unclog These Pores
12. We Killed It
13. (And It's Sometimes Like It Will Never End)

Ranking: #68 for 2003

user rating

4
excellent

Chart.

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On 1 Lists

4.0
excellent

Chris Baranowski USER (38 Reviews)

2007-01-21 | 39 comments | 1,533 views

Summary: An experimental step away from traditional hardcore for one of hardcore's contemporary essentials.

7 of 7 thought this review was well written

Hardcore is an enigmatic genre. Mislabeled as metalcore as many, hardcore is a heavier, faster version of punk. Hardcore sacrifices musical technicality for fast, pissed off power chord riffing that is layered behind the true focus of hardcore music, the lyrics. Any fan of hardcore will tell you the lyrics are the key factor behind their favorite bands, though the music itself is not to be ignored. From the melodic hardcore of Set It Straight to the simplistic pissed off shred of Ceremony, hardcore is also a genre of variety. But whether it be positive lyrics about the integrity and pride of being straight edge like that of the former or the brutal, realistic lines of hatred and violence of the latter, the ability to connect with the lyrics is key to hardcore. Enter Give Up The Ghost. After releasing one of the most acclaimed modern albums of the genre Background Music under their old name American Nightmare, Give Up The Ghost returned in 2003 with a new name and their new album We’re Down Til We’re Underground. We’re Down Til We’re Underground is an album of traditional, simplistic riffing and vicious lyrics. But unlike American Nightmare, We’re Down Til We’re Underground branches off from typical hardcore and experiments with atmospheric and introspective lyrics akin to that of Modern Life Is War.

After a short instrumental introduction track called “(It’s Sometimes Like It Never Started),” we hear the shout of “1-2-3-4” from famous hardcore vocalist Wes Eisold (now of Some Girls). “Love American” tears apart the speakers with its gang shouts of “love” and fast riffing. Wes’ voice has changed considerably from Background Music: higher, less gruff but equally abrasive. Eisold’s sadistic yet honest poetry immediately draws us in. “Boys and girls, guys and dolls. You were finding faith in bathroom stalls and broken beds, spring fractured spines. Fall for the right kids at all the wrong times. And in a world of sluts, we keep this wet dream alive,” and later, “Desperate and true, thinking of you, keep breathing. Borrowed and blue, sinking with you, keep loving.” Background Music’s lyrics seem to focus around Eisold’s failed and painful relationship attempts and We’re Down Til We’re Underground’s lyrical content stays true with the same poise, wit and brutal honesty. “Young Hearts Be Free Tonight” is an example of the album’s more traditional hardcore sound, chock full of Eisold’s desperate lines. “It's been too long since the last time we felt alive. We're digging our own graves, we're damning our own prayers. And these are songs the world would sing, but they're too deaf for honesty.” The last line truly embodies Eisold’s lyrics, brutally honest to the point where that he feels the world could never comprehend them or is simply not ready for his honesty. “Since Always” starts off with abrasive power chords, rhythmic drumming and harmonics, making the intro sound like something Refused would do. Eisold’s lyrics are a bit more sentimental this time, repeatedly screaming, “our love is real!” “Calculation-Nation” is a quick number, clocking in at 53 seconds but featuring some of my personal favorite lyrics. “And you don’t understand we, because you don’t understand me,” moans Wes, then, exploding into a scream, “I’m sorry, so sorry, for not making sense!”

“The Last Supper After Party” begins the four track venture into unconventional hardcore that represents the emotional depth and true heart of this album, and what makes it rise above other hardcore albums. The first part of the song is no different than anything previously on the album. Wes is up to his usual sadistic, misanthropic poetry, spouting lines like, “I burned a testament and misused 'heaven-sent', we made a comeback and it, it was received quite well, the earth, for all its worth, never seemed so far from Hell.” The song abruptly turns into an atmospheric blend of phased guitars and thundering bass and drum hits akin to Modern Life Is War or In Pieces. The song’s title hints at the paradoxical and melancholy lyrics of Wes’ rejection of a God and the song simply grips your attention with its unusual structure. “Crimescene” follows the same structure, beginning with heavy, palm-muted riffing and open string hits. After some ventures into interesting pedal tone work, the song returns to the main riff but played as octaves. Wes lets out a coarse scream of, “prove me wrong!” “Prove me wrong,” spits Wes, “prove you give a fuck!” The song ends with an excellent blend of the guitars of Tim Cosser and Brian Masek and Wes’ repeated tortured screams of, “prove me wrong!”

Abruptly as “Crimescene” ends, “Bluem” begins with a few quick bass notes and burst of swirling, effects-riddled guitar. The song switches from cascading, sliding guitars and palm muted punk riffing. Wes’ lyrics are once again fantastic, emotionally proclaiming, “Let me say what I mean, let me sleep on your floor, let me learn to love. ‘Cause I can feel my face sinking through bruised bones, barely hiding my mind failure fascination.” But what truly makes this song is the epic buildup that begins halfway through the track. A flip from static filled open chords and slowly ascending octaves done by both guitars. Wes’ poetry shines, as he painfully yells “And I’ve been running around, trying to find my home, twenty years on the run, trying to find my home” and “sing a song for the disenchanted, hum a hymn for the misdirected, a little love for the sons and daughters, shadow sitting life in forgotten corners” over ascending octaves that create a truly powerful buildup. The song ends with both of the guitars fully opening up into grandiose chords and bends. “Bluem” flows right into the rhythmic drum beat, bouncing bass and large chords of “AEIOU,” my personal favorite track because its beautiful lyrics. After an intro that clearly lets you know that the song is going to be big, the song breaks into traditional punk 1-2 beats and fast chords. But the song’s brutally honest and emotional lyrical content is what makes it one of my favorite songs of all time. The song’s high point is when Wes boldly exclaims “to set the record straight, I never could relate, but just went it all went wrong, you sang a different song” over quiet guitar and the rhythmic drumming of Alex Garcia Rivera. The song ends with Wes yelling, “you fixed my broken plan!”

Then in almost comical juxtaposition, “Crush Of The Year” starts with Wes growling, “the future could ours or it could just be yours, we could just be walking closer to closed doors” over heavy palm-muted riffing and later, “We could be the b-side to the hit song without no soul, we could sound like things were fine and find out they weren't at all, we could go back to where we was, live life and feel so small, back where we started which was nowhere at all!” Although “Crush Of The Year” is a return to the traditional hardcore sound of their earlier work, it’s still as crushing, honest and demanding as the more experimental tracks. “No Lotion Could Ever Unclog These Pores” is only about a 1 minute long but it’s combination of dark lyrics, back and forth rhythms and the chugging bass of Josh Holden give it one of the most powerful punches on the album. Starting with a shriek of “you can fuck your way to forgiveness,” the song then breaks down into slower progressions as Wes screams, “forgot heaven and hell, let’s have a celebration” and at the end of the track, “I’m no tourist to Armageddon, my travel plans, I’m staying in!” After some electronic feedback, the album enters its final movement entitled “We Killed It,” a truly spectacular ending to the album. The lyrics are simply stunning with lines such as, “I turned myself in for crimes I didn’t commit, I needed to feel truly innocent,” “generations can do whatever they want to, it’s mid afternoon, and I’ll be leaving soon” and “I know my voice isn’t great, but at least it’s sincere.” The final track “(And It’s Sometimes Like It Will Never End)” is a very strange, ambient progression that I usually skip over. It’s not only out of place, it’s just not enjoyable to listen to. We’re Down Til We’re Underground draws to a close, truly a breathtaking and refreshing work of hardcore.

I didn’t intend for this review to be a track by track, I expected that since I love the album so much, I would be able to write fluent paragraphs about how much the album meant to me and how the music achieved it’s goal perfectly. But it’s just hard to explain exactly what makes this album so truly magnificent. First, it’s experimental for the genre and no doubt did not bode well with fans of the generic sounds of Background Music. The picking lines, the sentimental, poetic lyrics, the clean channel prevalence, all things you will not find on Background Music, or anywhere in the Boston scene, where the band hails from. The mix of experimental, melodic hardcore and traditional breakneck punk riffing gives this album it’s diversity but the lyrics are what truly defines the album. Wes’ established himself as a true poet of the genre with Background Music in songs like “There’s A Black Hole In The Shadow Of The Pru,” “I Saved Latin,” “AM/PM” and “Hearts.” We’re Down Til We’re Underground only expands on his cryptic poetry, ranging from sadistic observations of the outside world, to both painful and hopeful recounts of love, to struggling pleas to just be heard and understood. The lyrics have a certain poetic styling but not to the point where Wes’ message doesn’t get conveyed. Background Music is more consistently brutally honest but We’re Down Til We’re Underground manages to mask it under vivid metaphors and narratives. As I said, fans of basic hardcore and fans of Background Music are going to find this album to be weak, misdirected, contrived and even boring. But to a new listener to the genre or band or just a fan with an open mind, We’re Down Til We’re Underground is an album rooted in hardcore successfully manages to experiment enough to transform it into an eclectic piece of work, filled with refreshing music and honest poetry. Rest in peace.

Suggested Tracks: “Love American,” “We Killed It,” “AEIOU,” "Since Always"

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