Review Summary: Emery swings for the fences, but only manages a little blooper that just falls for a hit.
Sometimes there are things that you are happy that you tried even if it wasn’t a favorite. Like an exotic food. You eat it, you’re not really sure if you liked it or not, but it was interesting. You may look on the experience positively, but it’s not something you want to repeat. I’m Only a Man is kind of like that. Certainly a divergence from their previous work, Emery releases an album that is, to say the least, creative. You have to give them props for that. But then again, an architect could design a building to resemble an armchair and it would be creative. But would it look good? Would it be able to even support itself? I’m Only a Man is very experimental, but as experiments go, it doesn’t always succeed. Sometimes it will of course, sometimes it won’t, and often times it will be just left for the individual listener to judge.
Rock-N-Rule starts things off with a pretty basic short drum, followed by a extremely catchy riff, followed by a… solo horn? Which, in those 20 seconds, kind of sets the tone for the rest of the album. Some fairly generic but not bad, mixed with some way above average, and then some random uncalled for moments thrown in there for grins. The rest of the song is pretty dynamic, and not too far off from where Emery has been with previous projects. Good vocals and successfully dramatic structure make this a highlight. My biggest complaint with this song is that they only repeat the opening riff once more in the rest of the song, which is disappointing because I highly enjoyed it.
The Party Song screams single (though technically it does very little screaming) which could turn some people off, if the title hadn’t already. The song starts off with some bouncy yet very catchy guitars that exit for the start of the first verse. The song isn’t really that creative. Structurally, it’s fairly generic. But it’s one of the catchiest songs Emery has ever written. It might seem out of place considering the rest of the album, but then again it’s the poppiest song Emery has ever written, so maybe there is something to saying that it is creative for them, in its lack of experimentation. Another highlight.
World Away begins really annoying. I’m not sure what it is, but the song as whole just irritates me. I don’t even think it’s bad, but something about the instrumentation just bothers me. It is more of a generic alt rock song and it just comes off as awkward. The second chorus has both clean singing and screaming in the background, but the screaming is tuned down to a point where it just is kind of there. It’s like that guy that hangs out with your friends but never really contributes anything. No one is really bothered by him that much, but he’s just kind of… there.
Imagine any song you like just fine. Think about any part of the song where the vocalist is singing. Then imagine all of the instrumentals being removed, leaving only voice. It’s kind of awkward. But that’s how After The Devil Beats His Wife starts off. Thankfully it doesn’t last long, but that short part just sounds so incredibly empty and naked. The verses are good but the chorus is weak here. Decent song.
Can’t Stop The Killer build slowly and softly, in a similar manner to later song A Sin to Hold On To from …In Shallow Seas We Sail. But instead of bursting into loud instrumentation, Emery here uses atmospheric synthesized vocals with gentle soothing guitar. After, they return to the building of energy till it levels out beautifully with very strong, emotional vocals. Overall the song is very slightly comparable to the title track off of Emery’s next full length album, and is really a highlight for I’m Only a Man. It does the weird things Emery tries with this album, but this is one song where it really succeeds and exceeds. Recommended.
Perhaps the oddest song on this album is the interestingly titled Don’t Bore Us, Get To The Chorus. I realize I like to talk about how the songs start a lot, but Emery tries many odd effects to start begin their songs on I’m Only a Man. And Don’t Bore Us, Get To The Chorus is the epitome of this. It begins with the really creepy, high pitched whispering/chanting of “never gonna go away” that slowly builds and then just stops and the rest of the song begins. For a while it’s the typical gentle Emery you have come to expect from Emery at this point, but when the chorus comes around you get… dance-based electronica? What? So now I’m confused. I don’t know about everyone else, but I don’t listen to Emery to ‘get my groove on’ or anything like that. So at this point you’re more than likely to be doing some serious head scratching. The next verse drops the beats and effects and the song continues on. The second chorus kind of breaks down and sends Emery into an energy driven ending, leaving the electronica behind. The rest of the song is more reminiscent of older Emery, featuring their screams. It’s not quite what you expect, but you can’t really expect what you expect anyways.
The next track is mostly acoustic based, but it does make good use of electric guitars, drums, and piano. It’s a gentle track that manages to be successful while not a real highlight. But seriously though, if you haven’t figured it out yet, this is a much softer album for Emery. Gone are the aggressive tracks like Walls and Disguising Mistakes With Goodbyes, say hello to this different Emery.
The next two tracks (as well as Story About A Man With A Bad Heart, which I skipped) are just kind of along the lines of the other songs, and I really don’t feel like talking about them, as they don’t really standout. But they aren’t bad.
Of special note is From Crib to Coffin. Clocking in at over ten minutes with all other tracks under four and a half, its purpose is clear-- epic closer. It’s worth comparison to label mate Anberlin’s (*fin) structurally, but it’s nowhere near as powerful. Many parts of the song are repeated, sometimes excessively. It could have used a slight shortening, but it doesn’t bring the song down significantly. The track features many serene yet dramatic pianos and synthesizers, and usually it works very well. But the problem isn’t within the song itself, but the rest of the album. Epic tracks are more effective when they close really amazing albums, and From Crib to Coffin is just too grand for its own good. While nothing about the track is poor, it’s hard to take seriously considering the previous songs. A highlight nonetheless.
All in all, I’m Only a Man will leave you scratching your head, not really sure what to think. Emery may have just have been trying too hard. They needed to relax and write something less… weird. It’s still very enjoyable, but perhaps as a curiosity more than anything else. It will keep you guessing, but it does lack flow sometimes.
Recommended Tracks: The Party Song, Can’t Stop The Killer, From Crib to Coffin, Rock-N-Rule
