Review Summary: 2 steps forward but one step back.
Over the past decade it seems that Zach Britt and team have cemented themselves as a stand out group to come out of the post-hardcore/alt-rock scene from the aussies down under. With albums like Burn and Blue Isla, you could see the heavy post-hardcore and metalcore influences pretty plainly from the rapid beating double-bass drums to the heavy atmospheric guitar. Not to mention the soaring vocals that Zach Britt brings to the band's already tight cohesiveness. Along with their album Mr. Spaceman they take these qualities to a concept that breathes feelings of loneliness and existentialism, or in otherwords, what it means to be human. Including ambient guitar leads, choir vocals that echo brightly, and cathchy-as-hell lyrics that demand to be chanted in a crowd.
So following that superb album, Young Lions throw out their next effort with Make a Rainbow and Put It in the Sky. Which might make you wonder...how do you follow a great concept album after what seems like a long drawn out 5 or 6 years? By taking 2 steps forward and one step back. While dialing back on the heavy core influences that permeated the bands previous albums, they double down on the emo/alt-rock sound which can be both a detriment to the album or a huge plus. A huge plus being, we get more of a personal point-of view from Zach Britt as a song-writer, or the con of losing the group effort that added to the band's cohesiveness that came before. This can echo bands in times past that throughout their career move to the softer more personal side which can be a great move forward or an exponentially tired one...luckily it's the former.
The singles showcased before the actual album release showed the direction the band was going and surprisingly, are the stand out tracks amongst the rest of the songs here, like Coming Home and Pilgrim that show Zach's personal view of relationships and existensialism. While Help. still uses familiar and often over-used emo/alt-rock cliches, it still falls into the group of better songs on the album and somehow brings out the best qualities in those cliches. Throughout the album we hear layered lead guitar riffs over warm acoustic chords that are somehow never overplayed and never overstated. Lyrically these tracks are still on the average side but the soundscape and structure behind those lyrics feels expertly done. Waiting Room is the perfect example of this that starts with a riff that almost feels ripped out of a Angelo Badalamenti track, and then cascades into progressive rock track that evokes dread and the beauty within that dread.
It's no question that Zach Britt's vocals stand out as a highlight of Young Lions as a group, but the song-writing and lyricism posed here is a bit short of the goal line. Not that Zach's lyrics and song structure have been anything truly captivating before, but at least there was a consistency to the efforts previous. However it's hard not to be drawn in by the infectious energy that the band poses in their performance on this album. Zach's vocals continue to soar as much as they always have and it's hard to not follow along. All in all, it's a step, albeit a little bit of a disappointing step but no less an excellent addition to the discography.
