Review Summary: "The music we play is a true reflection of our hearts and ourselves; we are genuine in our work, and we hope that we can share something special with all of you through it. This band is our passion, our creation, our blood and sweat. We hope you enjoy it.
A Moment's Ornament is a three piece post-hardcore outfit from Atlanta. They feature sputnik's very own Jacob Royal on drums, Michael Papst on bass/vocals, and Neil Branch on guitar/vocals. While they may only have three members, their music does not at all sound like a three piece band. They aren't you're average post-hardcore band, even if they do sound a lot like A Lot Like Birds or similar to The Fall Of Troy, which are 2 highly praised post-hardcore bands. These guys do things a bit differently. They infuse their music with the emotions found in post-rock, the guitar work found in progressive rock, and the catchiness you'd find in a pop punk band. They sound like a band with more than one album; their sound is arguably more refined than many veteran post-hardcore bands.
Now, this may sound like the description of the best band ever, but they certainly have their faults. There was no song on this album that really ever "grabbed" me and just kept me interested throughout the entire song. They all seem to follow a formula, excluding the interludes. There is an average post-hardcore drum fill, with a quirky guitar riff with a metallic tone, and some pretty singing, or occasionally some not-so-pretty screaming. Yeah, the screams on this thing are damn abrasive, they sound a lot like Thomas Erak from TFOT, but in all honestly they aren't as enjoyable to my ears. Luckily though, they aren't relatively common, especially on the latter half of the album. The guitar work is what really saves this album, although every riff might not grab me, almost every song has at least one guitar bit that just plain jams hard, and leaves a fantastic taste in my mouth after hearing it. The drums never really quit being spectacular, the drumming remains fast-paced and engaging throughout, and really becomes a shining point of this album.
I admit, I'm not a fan of happy music. I usually like my music to be overly artistic, soul-crushing, and sometimes even pretentious. This album here is an exception. This album is a tribute to youth, and the freedom that comes along with it. That may sound cheesy to some, including me, but this band does something extremely rare for me, they actually pull-off happy and upbeat music without it seeming shallow or naive. This album is post-hardcore joy, and some of the most positive music I have ever heard. I cannot stress enough how well they pull off the happy sound, especially considering how much I hate happy music, and how much I dig this record.
This record is a fantastic piece of jovial post-hardcore, that is best served when your in a good mood. It's rare to see a band that doesn't sacrifice technicality for emotion, and this is one of those bands.
