Review Summary: Unnatural experimentation shows that this band is trying too hard to be unique, and comes off as pretentious instead.
Several bands that have claimed their ranks in the screamo genre have ultimately marked themselves with a scarlet letter. Some may find that many of the more incoherent, rigorous, and discordant bands (Usurp Synapse, Loma Prieta, Orchid) are/were zmediocre, and subsequently find the monumental amounts of praise towards these not-so-saccharine outfits, notorious for their bellicose nature, to be hyperbolic. However, most of the bands belonging to the more melodic and intimate sect of said genre are prone to far less mockery. Whether it be the experimentation-the juxtaposition of several genres, the careful balance of discordance and beauty, or the more serious, intricate nature of these bands' compositions, there seems to be a far more acute sense of spite that follows these bands. And for the most part, I agree that the latter is a superior breed. But there are those bands that don't seem to get the point of what exactly they're doing across. Here is where I Would Set Myself On Fire For You comes in.
Debuting their music with a self-titled LP, I Would Set Myself On Fire For You seemed to emulate and often rehash what a throng of far superior bands did before them. They combined the hyper-literate vibe that Orchid started, the post-rock elements that Envy executed in a manner miles above their standpoint, the viola that Portrait became notorious for, and the female-male vocals that Circle Takes The Square executes near-flawlessly along with a manifold of other eerily familiar characteristics. However, I Would Set Myself On Fire For You had only a slight grasp on the phrase, “learn from the best; make it your own,” and produced an almost-lackluster album because of it. However, their second album proves that they have progressed in areas such as the aforementioned, but they have come across a multitude of issues, both new and old.
Beginning with one of the album's highlights, “Twelve,” I Would Set Myself On Fire For You places emphasis on flamenco riffs and folk music, rather than a somber viola. The viola's still there, but the skill of the violist has improved greatly, allowing the band to finally embrace their gimmick instrument to a certain degree. It is on this track as well that shows the height of intensity from the band. The first passage of the lyrics allows the moat exigency to shine. The whole song is memorable and perceptible and transitions perfectly to the next song. After this jazzy instrumental, the band exemplifies their thrash and folk alters with “Six” which unfortunately meanders and procrastinates so long, the band never really progresses in intensity or adds a real element of intrigue. In fact very little tracks do more than move you a couple inches from the back of your seat, rather than keep you at the edge, wondering what will happen next. This can't be said about “Eight” though, as the track shows as much, if not more, greatness as “Twelve” does. The track begins with soothing female vocals that extend out into more intense soundscapes, especially at the end where everything becomes rapid and raucous. This ending is in stark contrast to the stagnancy that plagues this album so.
“Three,” a remake of “The First Word That Comes To Mind” is a real disappointment. Now, I Would Set Myself On Fire For You are not only emulating others, but emulating themselves; the tracks are almost identical, but the latter lacks the hyper-literate references to Vonnegut, the passion, the intensity, and it adds in a level of awkwardness and haphazardness that makes the remake a worse track. “#” is a far bigger disappointment than “Three” though, as it tries to take a nod from minimalist post-rock and misses the mark entirely. Tracks like Godspeed You! Black Emperor's “09-15-00” add little more than a repeating pluck of the guitar string and some background effects; however, it is a heartfelt work of immense passion. “#” however is a minimalist track that just comes across as a stagnant tedium. It's truly sad too, considering the band crafted the indie track, “So This Is Our Home” which features vocals, viola, and a bass line. It seems, on occasion that the band is undoubtedly in this state desperate to expand their horizons, even if it means making a small flaw of the album grow larger and larger-more apparent by the second. This flaw is the fact that I Would Set Myself On Fire For You wishes to be experimental so much, they'll detract from the music at a sometimes unforgivable level. And when “Country Song” comes across, it's obvious that the band is undoubtedly in this state.
Whilst tracks like “Twelve” experiment more with a blend of aural sounds than most other tracks on this album, the arrangement of this genre juxtaposition is haphazard. Going from a classical sect to a flamenco guitar interlude to a folksy instrumental in a minute and forty five seconds is a harrowing feat. “Country Song” is just pathetic, as it attempts to go in a more Latin/country direction, and fails miserably; “Seven” needed a few more omissions before the album's release, as the folk mix becomes incoherent, and after the track climaxes, it tries again at a climax with an unwanted vocal session. But not all is bad.
In fact, a lot of the album is fantastic. “Eight,” “Twelve,” “So This Is Our Home,” and “Let The Jazz Band In” are great. They are the most free of these aforementioned hindrances that are like the bubonic plague to the other tracks. However, on a cursory listen, many of these flaws are on a lesser magnitude than they, in my opinion, really are. In fact, I loved this album the first time I listened to it, and it does have its moments still. However, considering that most of the tracks are stagnant and lengthy,
Believes In Patterns shows that the band was a poor man's version of the early Circle Takes The Square. Unfortunately, it was the bad execution and the abnormally placed, experimental bits that set this major difference between the two, which makes me wonder exactly what the band was trying to portray by being so similar to a crop of bands, and then attempt to expand their sound by seeming to add random experimental parts wherever one thought apposite. Perhaps they are trying to portray that “be unique to be unique, rather than let things flow” sort of image? Either way, it's not exactly the prettiest portrait ever painted (pun intended).
FINAL RATING: 3.2/5-Unnatural experimentation shows that this band is trying too hard to be unique, and comes off as pretentious instead.
