Review Summary: "The music is feelings, and the lyrics are thinking too much and out loud."
It truly is a shame that I Wrote Haikus have not earned as much attention as bands like Saetia, Orchid, Jerome's Dream, and others. Regardless of being a bit ignored in the "limelight", they manage to maintain a somewhat loyal following of fans.
I Wrote Haikus was active from 2004 to 2006, and in that time, they released a 5-song demo (2004), an 8-song demo (2005), and in 2010, the jackpot: The discography LP on Discos Huelga. This record compiles renewed versions of the 13 tracks from those previous releases.
The record opens with a mellow "intro", which is merely two guitars intertwining together to create a very atmospheric backdrop. Despite being a bit of a sore thumb when compared to the other tracks, it fits in quite nicely. Instead of quickly jumping into the album, you are slowly prepared for what is about occur. As this opening track ends, Trei's feral scream is heard, and with that, Track 2 begins. You may now sit back, and enjoy 12 tracks composed of noisy guitars, messy drumming, and dark, passionate vocals.
The quality of the album is not fantastic, however, it is much better than the quality of the two demos. While the demo tapes simply resembled organized noise, the Discography presents us with somewhat clear sound. The guitar work is a bit more distinguished and understandable, rather than being static-laden and somewhat incomprehensible. The vocals are always impactful: Freddie and Trei screaming in unison. It is a heart-wrenching performance.
One of the stand out tracks is Track 7. The screaming of "Save me from my room...save me from my thoughts" leads into a harmonic, post-rock style dimension. Another fantastic tune is Track 10, which appears to have been recorded live, or in front of friends.
Never under-estimate this band. They will display a variety of emotion: Everything from anger to sadness. The album explodes, mellows, and then prepares to collapse into a frenzy of teenage feelings. And this not a very repetitive record, though one may assume it to be on the first listen. The guitar interlude after Track 10 is a very experimental and unique touch. Also, the growled vocals on Track 11 are worth noting. On the demo version of this track, growled vocals were not present. I suppose this is an example of the band's bravery to experiment, an activity that turns away many bands.
I Wrote Haikus deserve much credit for creating such beautiful, diverse music. I believe Discos Huelga no longer carries the record, though I did manage to grab a copy of the red vinyl from there a while back. I recommend that you search around for a copy of this LP. It likely spends more time on my turntable than anything else in my collection.
