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Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate)
What It Takes to Move Forward


5.0
classic

Review

by Trebor. EMERITUS
May 4th, 2015 | 241 replies


Release Date: 2009 | Tracklist


Sometimes in life we can feel too much; we build up all of our fears and anxieties and we let them cripple us. They put us into a state of stagnation and we let our fears and anxieties overcome our desire to obtain our goals and progress as people. We tend to overthink and act without perspective, and this above all prevents us from moving forward. Sometimes all it takes to get over our bullshit is to calm down, let it out, and feel genuine, unadulterated emotion. The sensation of catharsis does not usually come easy - it's an uphill battle of processing negative thoughts and obtaining perspective. Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate) are here to make it easy, as they made an album that contains all of my worries and trepidation and expels them through musical expression. For me, this record is what it takes to move forward.

What It Takes To Move Forward is captivating for the entirety of its 56-minute run time. Every song, through its sprawling and progressive structure is a journey, fitting together like small pieces of a bigger puzzle. There's a consistent tone of immense sadness and nostalgia that blankets the entire album in a suffocating atmosphere. From the uneasy arpeggios that open the record, until the blanket of distorted chords fizzle out and the record ends, the heavy weight of grief and fervent emotion is uncompromising - it never lets up, it never wavers. What It Takes To Move Forward is an album about moments, moments that can survive on their own, but come together and translate into something truly significant.

Every single second of this album matters to me: every guitar part, every lyric, every nuance, and even after hundreds of listens it never fails to elicit intense emotion from me. I almost hate how without fail, What It Takes To Move Forward can make me feel. No matter how many times I grow cynical or think I've finally become numb, I'm able to block out all the noise inside my head, shut up and listen, and really feel something. I can take everything in my life that worries or bothers me and break it down into a pure emotional release, and that's what makes What It Takes To Move Forward so special.



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user ratings (815)
4.2
excellent
other reviews of this album
SeaAnemone (4.5)
... and just when I thought my top albums of the year weren't going to be upset by a relative unknow...

Slum (4.5)
What It Takes To Move Forward is a wonderfully sad ride that will keep you listening for hours....

Brady Hayes (5)
A portrait of a man with little faith left....



Comments:Add a Comment 
Trebor.
Emeritus
May 4th 2015


60012 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

This was really hard to write, but it is done

Yay 100!

trackbytrackreviews
May 4th 2015


3469 Comments


nope

Tunaboy45
May 4th 2015


18562 Comments


Great review man, happy 100

ParanoidAndroid96
May 4th 2015


1393 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

fantastic album. good write up homie

Matte
May 4th 2015


600 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

Great review, I think you captured the essence of this album very well.

Slut
May 4th 2015


4255 Comments


Grew off me mega hard

Snake.
May 4th 2015


25376 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

yesssssssssss

SeaAnemone
May 4th 2015


21429 Comments


#Trebor

SharkTooth
May 4th 2015


14937 Comments


Am I the only one surprised that Treb hasn't done a 5/5 Empire Empire review earlier?

Lord(e)Po)))ts
May 4th 2015


70256 Comments


terrible review

Sometimes in life we can feel too much; we build up all of our fears and anxieties and we let them cripple us, put us into a state of stagnation and we let our fears and anxieties overcome our desire to obtain our goals and progress as people.


yes we know u are talking about "our fears and anxieties", its still the same sentence. reword this, its redundant.

this is a review not a self help pamphlet. also the whole shared human experience of angsty whatever comes off as extremely preachy and bohemian. especially since you don't even go on to address any of this stuff in the same way again in the rest of the review. it makes it incredibly inconsistent and largely unsubstantial. the first paragraph should give the reader a glimpse of what to expect from the rest of the review and u just completely switch approaches in every single paragraph.

Every song, through its sprawling, progressive song structure is a journey, but every song also fits as a small piece to a bigger puzzle.


more redundancy. reword.

as for the final paragraph, this is a review, not a diary entry. u spent the entire first paragraph trying to parallel this album to a universal human experience. you need to provide evidence for this in the body of your review for it to work. instead you just turn it into a personal diary entry about your own problems. you only actually made like 3 observations about the album itself in the middle paragraph and then just finished it off by writing what should pretty much just be your soundoff for this. you also have no consistent voice throughout the review. you spend a whole paragraph referring to the audience, another whole paragraph vaguely describing what the album sounds and then another just talking about yourself.

Gameofmetal
Emeritus
May 4th 2015


11738 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

A convincing case for me to give this another shot. Maybe I'll finally get emo

adr
May 4th 2015


12097 Comments


is this is another soundoff type Treb review where he talks about his life and girlfriend and stuff

Lord(e)Po)))ts
May 4th 2015


70256 Comments


yes thats exactly what it is

Lord(e)Po)))ts
May 4th 2015


70256 Comments


like if u want to write shit like this dont even bother talking about how the album sounds and just go post this on your tumblr

adr
May 4th 2015


12097 Comments


i've already read like 3 reviews about his life lol

Lord(e)Po)))ts
May 4th 2015


70256 Comments


yeah its all very dreary and who cares

Trebor.
Emeritus
May 4th 2015


60012 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

but I don't have a tumblr

Lord(e)Po)))ts
May 4th 2015


70256 Comments


you should get one. ud fit right in with all the other 16 yr old girls.

or u know, keep posting the same terribly disjointed reviews on sputnik without any regard for criticism and a complete unwillingness to improve your writing for another 100 reviews

Lord(e)Po)))ts
May 4th 2015


70256 Comments


This was really hard to write,


im embarrassed for you





Cygnatti
May 4th 2015


36129 Comments


I still have not jammed this.
I have failed you, seaeric. ;/



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