Review Summary: Love fades against a color's change.
The loss shakes against the cold.
I completely understand the masses of people claiming that this band is overrated, or repetitive, or just plain boring. They are not a mature band, by any means. Hell, they're a band full of hormone-filled adolescents. But that is what makes them so magical. This band is the embodiment of angst, and they do a damn good job embodying it, while writing heavy, sludgy, and aggressive songs that get the job done as well as any hardcore band does.
Oh, but they do it so, so well.
Imagine if early Converge didn't suck, and was more heavy, more sludgy, and had fantastic lyrics filled with teenage rage. That's pretty much what you're gonna get with this band, and on their full-length debut right here, is their heaviest album yet. On their previous EPs, believe it or not, they were even more sludgy and angsty, and on this LP they abandoned that sound for a more fast-paced, and aggressive sound.
Oh yeah, and the lyrics.
"I have never felt as empty as I feel today
Even when the moment's beauty fades in and away.
That's all it is. A moment.
And the images creep back into the forefront of my brain
From picking up the pieces of unearthing devotion. Re-energizing dead feelings."
"Break me into something worth it
more than the heads of statues.
Even if the trend reconciles itself I will still wake up wishing I didn't.
So maybe instead I'll choke on these anti-anxiety pills
so I don't have to swallow the flavor of life floating away.
In your hands against his chest or my head against the bathroom floor
But every morning is a clean slate
and my back starts to break. My face starts to change.
Alignment of the way I act and the way I am,
because in my mind it's an emptiness.
An abundance of layers buried out of necessity.
A laundry list of accomplishments.
Stage the disease.
Control the crisis.
Sell your soul to words that mean nothing."
"I want to return to the water.
To drink in the sex//sleaze//mud//greed
Put a gun in the mouth of the sky and just (breathe)
or to where I can bathe in my own conscience."
Hell, I almost considered doing the same thing I did while "reviewing" I.V. and just write out all the lyrics in paragraph form. The reason I put mass amounts of lyrics in most of my reviews, is because usually the lyrics can say more about the album that I am able to as a 16 year old kid. I associate this album with rebellion, depression, angst, and everything I feel as an adolescent. This album is not made for happy people. These are not happy songs for happy people. These are artistic projections of emotion and aggression. Plus, Jacob Bannon likes them, so you have to give them some props for that.
Now, one of the main things that turns people off while listening to this band is the vocals. There are three different vocalists, mainly the drummer Jami Morgan, and the guitarist Reba Meyers, who also make fantastic music in the indie-emo band Adventures. There is also occasionally vocals from the other guitarist, Eric, and then Joe just plays bass. Anyway, the vocals are strained, yelled, and raspy. Simply put, they are angry. Code Orange Kids are very angry, and through their passionate music, they will show you just why they are angry. They will show you just why they are making music. They are making music for people like me to enjoy. As Refused once said, "new art for the real people."
Code Orange Kids is just a hardcore band, and they stay true the genre. While doing this, they incorporate new ideas not used by their predecessors, and create a new and interesting sound that is exciting, and just plain fun to listen to. It's interesting that a band that can be so enjoyable to listen to can also be so emotional, and filled with angst. I understand the hate for this band, and this album, but it is truly a wonderful creation of the hardcore genre, and one of the most passionate albums I've heard in the last few years.
Tearing pieces from my decrepit skin.
Just to try and keep you warm.
