Review Summary: Energetic, emotional, raw, and real, all at the same time.
Aaron Gillespie, lead singer of The Almost, has obviously been influenced by the Foo Fighters. Think about it. Both bands' first records were recorded solely by the founding member, who was the drummer for another band at the time. Both bands actually became bands after the first record came out, the founding member becoming lead singer and guitarist. And now, with the release of Fear Inside Our Bones, both bands' latest records were recorded live in a small room.
But don't think I'm saying The Almost are exactly like the Foo Fighters. In fact, the similarities end at the fact that both the Foos' Wasting Light and The Almost's Fear Inside Our Bones are among my favorite records.
Fear Inside Our Bones is all kinds of emotional and gorgeous while at the same time being raucous and raw. From the opening chords of "Ghost" you can tell you're in for a simultaneously emotional and energetic experience, and it only builds from there. The Almost's penchant for high-energy rock anthems is at its peak on this record, and it gets blended to incredible effect with their habit of constantly, but not annoyingly, changing up styles from song to song. The barn-dance/electro-house tempo'ed "I'm Down" consistently pounds with "let's dance!" energy, while the clean guitar-and-sitar intro of the title track cranks the emotion level up to 11. "Come On" and "Never Be Like You" would fit perfectly on an alternative rock station, while tracks 7, 8, and 9 ("Fight Song", "I Won't Let Go" and "So What") are a trifecta of fist-pumping ragers. The only real departure from the garage/alternative vibe of the entire album is the incredibly chill "The Florida Sun", which is perfect for listening to on a sun-soaked beach.
Lyrically, The Almost is at their tip-top as well. From musings on why we make the mistakes we do ("We were made with fear inside our bones, the kind that makes us feel alone, so hold on, just breathe and figure out" - "Fear Inside Our Bones") to simultaneous declarations of rebirth and war ("A shallow grave would be just enough to bury me and my pride. I'm down, but I'm not out. I'm down, don't count me out." - "I'm Down") to missing the days of youth ("It was all a part of me, sugary sand, every single palm tree, it was knit into my skin" - "The Florida Sun"), you won't find any whiny emo declarations or sappy love songs here. Every song has its own raw emotion to it.
The album concludes on a bit of an odd note - a cover of Andrew Gold's classic rock hit "Lonely Boy". While well-done, this song seems a bit out of place on a record full of real passion and fresh energy. However, all together, this album is not just good, it's darn near perfect if you ask me. After the massive successes of Southern Weather and Monster Monster, The Almost have only gone up from where they began, and it doesn't look like it gets any better.
