“Emo” is quite a curious thing. In actuality, it is a brand of raw, emotionally-charged hardcore punk music, often characterized by throat-shredding screams and driving octave chords, being some of the most underground, independent, and unapproachable music there is. However, the word “emo” is constantly misused by teens and kids everywhere, usually referring to a kind of fashion, or an “emotional” pop-punk band. It is quite strange, then, why there would be confusion involving the two; the epitome of raw, underground hardcore music, and mainstream pop culture. But if, as far as the music goes, there is one characteristic that these two vastly different things share, it is the large amount of bands from their respective sounds that sound the same. Instead of originality, we get carbon copies.
You and I is a band representing the emotional hardcore genre, but instead of one-minute blasts of energy, for the most part You and I present something new. We have metal-influenced riffs, clean vocals, acoustic guitars, all blended into the emo formula, making the band stand out among all of the typical emo and screamo artists. You and I’s Discography (which strangely enough does not include all of the band’s material) is a compilation of some very good songs, however at times the band gets lazy and can sound just like any other band in the genre. This will always be a problem when making a discography, particularly one this long, but You and I manage to still make it interesting enough to listen to, but probably not all at once.
The lyrics are definitely the album’s strongpoint. They are beautifully-written, thought provoking poems and some of the best of the emo genre. Some choice quotes from the opener “Forever Lasts a moment”:
I know the trees lost their leaves longs ago, its just the air seems so much cooler now, if I could do it again I’d do it differently, do you hear the bells ringing, they're ringing, but where is my angel, but where is my angel
These lyrics are obviously very personal and perhaps difficult to understand, but are without a doubt well-written and meaningful.
You and I does not hesitate to show their instrumental skill. There are no long solos or overly technical riffing, but each member of the band definitely has great ability at the instruments they play. The heaviness to the music may turn some listeners away, but it is all apart of the overall delivery. The vocals are definitely an acquired taste and may be hard to listen to for some people. Low and high-pitched screams, growls, and choked wails make up the vocals delivery of You and I, and are certainly not for virgins to the screamo genre. But they are absolutely filled with emotion and passion, which is one of the stronger points of the Discography.
All in all, You and I’s Discography is a great compilation of the band’s material, but it is brought down by the fact that it all drags on for 23 tracks, and some songs do tend to go on too long. I would recommend this Discography for big fans of emo music and You and I, but not to people who are new to the genre, or for people who just want to hear a good album. If you want a good emo album to listen to, try
The Curtain Falls.
Pros:
-Wonderful lyrics
-Raw feeling and passion
-Some good variety, with clean vocals and acoustic guitars
Cons:
-Very long and nearly impossible to listen to all at once
-Some songs go on to long and tend to repeat themselves
-Some songs that sound overly similar to others
Recommended tracks: Forever Lasts A Moment, Achilles, Hearts Divide
3/5
