Review Summary: A remarkably tight and powerful emo-tinged rock offering featuring many moments of utter brilliance from Southern California's very own, Halifax.
Halifax was born interestingly enough back in 2003 down in Thousand Oaks, CA, where brothers Dan and Matt Locascio and friends Justin Chlowitz and Chris Brandt sought refuge from the typical surfing and Hollywood scene that comes along with the SoCal area. Electing to write some songs instead of soaking up some sun, the four piece outfit released a self-funded, self-produced EP that June, adding vocalist Mike Hunau to the lineup in the hopes of touring and promoting the record. Unfortunately, the EP was met with minimal reception; Hunau and guitarist Chris Brandt packed their bags soon after, seeking a change to the traditional Halifax formula. Call these guys chemists, because they wasted little time finding the antidote; Tommy Guindon was brought on to drum, Kevin Donlon came aboard to play bass, and Adam Charles joined Brandt in the guitar section. In just a few short months, the group found themselves releasing this very EP, the first of their new identity and the beginning of great musical achievements to come. This record is 2004's A Writer's Reference, on No Milk Records.
So to sum it up:
Mike Hunau - vocals
Chris Brandt - guitar
Adam Charles - guitar
Kevin Donlon - bass
Tommy Guindon - drums
To the casual pop-punk/emo listener, AWR on the first listen will seem a lot like something Taking Back Sunday or Brand New would have put out (which is certainly not a bad thing). The melodic tones, emotional vocals and simple but effective instrumentals of these two bands are sprinkled throughout the record, which should be music to any fans of these groups' eardrums.
Right off the bat, we are hit with the most popular track on the disc, Sydney, which was written for Hunau's late grandfather. Honestly, I feel like Halifax could not have chosen a better way to start the show; the song features everything from slick bass lines, catchy guitar riffs, and tight drumming to powerful and heartfelt lyrics that nearly everyone will relate to in some way or another. A music video and acoustic bonus track edition of the song are also included on the disc, and for good reason. Good luck getting this one out of your head.
Out of the frying pan and into the oven as we jump into my the title track of the EP, A Writer's Reference. On the surface, one might assume that this is merely just another high-pitched teenager brushing freshly flat-ironed hair away from his eyeliner coated pupils singing about failed romance, but that just could not be any further from the truth. The lyrics, while tackling an overused (yet undeniably relatable) topic, change it up a bit by featuring some really clever and hard-hitting lines. "Limping to your car, you never thought it would end like this/But your hero in his armor, wasn't playing with those fists./So innocent and still, you lay against your truck's window/Replaying to me what looks like karma, taking its last blow." The guitar also shines in this track, with the rhythm and lead alternating riffs to set a rapid and dire tone to match the vocals. One thing that I really admire about Halifax throughout their debut offering is the length of their songs. The shortest track on the EP clocks in at 3:13 (Sydney), which is not even really considered short in the genre, while the average length of a track on this disc is over 4 minutes long. Where most bands might be seen as "filling," the album here and playing for the sake of taking up space, every single song that Halifax includes on this record, like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, feels just right. That is something real impressive in music, especially from a the rookie AWR.
The third track I Hate Your Eyes and the fifth track The Next Two Weeks are both alike in that they have perhaps weaker verses, both musically and lyrically, than the rest of the tracks on the album, but they both bleed into a chorus that basically throws you in and doesn't let up until the next verse starts up again. The Next Two Weeks in particular incorporates a significant rhythm change; where the verses are slow and calculated, the chorus is fast, intense, and powerful, which is a nice refresher here. I Hate Your Eyes just screams Taking Back Sunday, what with it's duo-vocal assault, raw, emotional lyrics, and "wooh oh oh's" scattered throughout, which is certainly a nice influence to see in a band just getting their feet wet in the scene.
Now, onto track number four AKA my favorite on the album... BROKEN GLASS SYNDROME. Kids, here is a song. You've got sick and very audible bass lines (as a bassist myself, this is welcomed with open arms), amazing lyrics sung by a very emotional Hunau who obviously meant what he penned in the song, and that overlapping guitar sequence feeding off one another, all in one three minute and thirty-six second monster of a song. This is by far the most catchy and powerful track on the entire disc, at least in my eyes, and if you only ever purchased one song on A Writer's Reference than I implore you, no I BEG you to make it this one. You'll be glad that you did.
The final main track on the disc is the acoustic Scarlet Letter Part 2, which in my opinion should not have had to follow up an animal like Broken Glass Syndrome and would have had much greater of an effect on listeners if placed just before it. With that being said, I do admire the experimental sound that Halifax is going for here, I really do. However, iwith all due respect, I don't really think that this is the sound for them. The guitar here plays a simple riff over electronic noises that are littered in the background throughout, while Hunau shares with us the murder of a man (possibly himself? probably himself.) at the hands of a certain girl due to extenuating circumsatnces, much like the Hester Prynn tale that we all had to read in High School. It is an alright song with interesting lyrics, but I just feel that Hunau is better suited for the harder songs than something soft like this. But, this is an EP, and if this is the weakest track on it than these guys could have done a hell of a lot worse.
Overall, this is an EP that will remain on my playlist for years to come, as it never seems to grow old. There are moments of sheer brilliance on this disc that immensely overshadow the small pitfalls and blemishes here, pointing to some real nice things to come in Halifax's future. (Released full length album after this; not sure if they broke up or not but have not heard much from their camp lately.)
