Review Summary: "To hear something new is hard and
painful for the ear. We hear the music
of foreigners badly."
The Orchid Family of plants is one of the largest and most diverse on the planet. Many of the flowers are known for their intense beauty, as they are frequently used for commercial bouquets. Their scent is marketed in perfumes. And vanilla, the flavoring used world wide, is also part of said family. That being said, Orchidaceae are a highly revered group of plants. And that is why for the life of me I cannot grasp how the band Orchid, came to adopt this name.
Orchid are legends in the emotional hardcore scene, and their music is anything but beautiful. With their debut album "Chaos Is Me," Orchid left a huge crater that was their influence. Whilst the band's name was not too fitting, the name of their debut fit perfectly. That is because chaos was the very essence of Orchid. It was anarchy and unrestrained energy in musical form. Needless to say, this left quite an impression. Regarded as a classic, "Chaos Is Me" is seen as part of movement that started something new. So Orchid had some pretty big shoes to fill; their own.
Fortunately, they succeeded. "Dance Tonight! Revolution Tomorrow!" meets the standards on "Chaos Is Me," and in some cases surpasses them. The chaos is still prevalent, as is the brazen energy. However, the whole affair seems less messy, and more constrained. One could argue that is what made their previous album a classic, but the cleaner sound is welcome, and it really shows of their music making abilities.
The organization of the set list is one of the album's biggest improvements from it's predecessor. Where their debut seemed to mesh together, sounding homogeneous, "Dance Tonight! Revolution Tomorrow!" works like a well oiled machine. The intro "Destination: Blood," is a perfect beginning for the album. It starts of menacing, and quickly explodes into the frenetic screaming and cymbal crashes. The intro to "Don't Rat Out Your Friends" sounds very solemn and thoughtful, and goes a long way to adding variety to the album. They use the same detailing in "Snow Delay at the Frankfurt School." In this case, it almost sounds beautiful. The simple guitar notes being played with slight distortion over and airy atmosphere is fantastic. Musically, there is much more substance. As songwriters, the members of Orchid have improved. Subtle sounds in the background of "...And the Cat Turned to Smoke" are all the validation one needs to realize this. While on the subject, "...And the Cat Turned to Smoke" is the album's heaviest hitter. In places, it's one of the more melodic pieces on the album, whilst in other places, complete chaos ensues. It's brilliant, and at five minutes in length, it's the album's largest song. Truly, it is an achievement for the band as musicians.
Yet "Dance Tonight! Revolution Tomorrow!" doesn't completely blow their previous album out of the water. As a whole, it lacks the personality found on "Chaos Is Me." The youthful exuberance isn't so apparent, and it's a lot less dark. And at around fifteen minutes in length, it's simply over far too quickly. Yet this are minor gripes. "Dance Tonight! Revolution Tomorrow!" is a blast. The music makes me want to loose my composure, while the meaningful lyrics make me want to think. It's a great duality, which helps the album exponentially. Hectic, thoughtful, and passionate, this is one album that shouldn't be missed.
