Review Summary: "Inside I approgate dip, wection frip, it’s sobuhdayo, the gose tun the bae dun swip"
I don't think anyone at this point of the band's career doubted Jon's ability to be the lone frontman for Secret Band. On their self titled EP he proved that he could hold a song on his own and make the listener forget they even used clean vocals in the first place. In fact if Secret Band proved anything it was their songwriting is at their best when Jon was at the helm. Their songwriting was free to unhinge itself even more and the band could ironically further expand their sound pallet with one less singer. Swan and Mess now have the liberty to be as f
ucking weird as they wanted to be. Their EP showed more experimental direction taken by the band, which only continues on their S/T LP.
In addition to being more experimental, this is also the heaviest this group of musicians have ever sounded. Songs like Projectile Comet show Swan writing guitar parts that almost reach over into Metal, rather than a fun Post Hardcore band with Funk Influences. The band writes these heavy sections with just as much charisma as anything else they've written, and it's a welcome change. They do a good job at breaking the album up and it stops it from seeming so repetitive.
Charisma would be a good word for this album. Will Swan proves that you could easily pick his guitar playing out of a line up and everyone else does more than pull their own weight.
However, that's to be expected of these guys. Never has a band sounded so carefree, but yet were so tight and so keen on songwriting. This is a 'moments' album, and most songs have multiple of them. All without resorting to being a one trick pony, as the album has a bunch of interesting tempo/ mood switches that insure for an unpredictable listen that never goes into over indulgent or aimless. Every song feels like it is exactly as long as it needs to be and they don't waste, nor keep you wanting more.
I honestly don't believe any one else could have fronted this album so well. Mess works so well because of the golden C-word I mentioned earlier. He doesn't have the range as some other harsh vocalists but what he does have is a mastery of cadence. After being in Dance Gavin Dance for so long he knows exactly what he is doing here and his years of experience has never sounded so good. His lyrics only enhance the album's fun/carefree nature, chock-full of so many Mess-isms any fan of his lyrics will come out more than pleased. His general weirdness brings the album up from a great modern post hardcore album, to an amazing one.
But ultimately music is subjective, and every once and a while god seems to craft an album out of pure happiness, love, and orphan tears to create an album just for you. An album that seems like it just exactly what
you want from it. This is what #MessedGod have given all of us. If you're looking for a good time, look no further, this album has all you need.
