Review Summary: Pianos Become The Teeth abandon their past abrasive sound for more melody, emotion, and awe inspiring anthems.
Keep You, the 2014 full length by Baltimore Maryland's premier screamo/post rock act Pianos Become The Teeth, is a beautiful soundscape of scattered emotions, and a risky journey into a new sonic direction.
The last piece of music by Pianos Become The Teeth was released in 2013, the song "Hiding" from their split with Touché Amoré. The song was less abrasive than their past material, focusing heavily on vocalist Kyle Durfey's clean singing contrasting with their past work which showcased his yell-styled vocals. Hiding was met with positive reception, an anthem at shows around the country and a great song for lonely nights or drives with friends. The song was a perfect segway between the old and new Pianos Become The Teeth.
Enter Keep You, an album foreshadowed by the band's statement revealing that they planned to abandon the harsh vocals and focus on Durfey's singing. Reasonably, fans were concerned with this new direction, considering the band had made an eight year career out of the sound they were hoping to cast aside. Keep You's first single "Repine" puts all the worry at bay. "Repine" is a beautiful song, somewhat reminiscent of The Lack Long After's "I'll Get By," featuring the buildups, melodic guitar lines, emotional lyrics, and the rhythmic drum patterns normally associated with Pianos Become The Teeth. While the song seemed to be a grower at first, it warmed fans up to their new style.
Keep You begins with "Ripple Water Shrine", introducing a clean guitar riff resembling a piano layered over syncopated drums, soon combined with Durfey's vocals. The song is a great opener, setting a foundation for the rest of the album. Keep You moves forward with "April" and "Lesion". "April" is a slower song, centering around reverb laden guitar progressions and an interesting snare roll and hi hat drum groove courtesy of drummer David Haik. "Lesion" is one of the more upbeat tracks, heading full force into a loud and pumping chorus with catchy lyrics: "And if it's true it has me telling you, it has me glad as hell that you'll never know." The album reaches a slower spell with "Old Jaw" and "Late Lives", the latter revolving mainly around the vocal melody. "Old Jaw" gives way to an ending that could easily be at home with the band's older work, featuring a heavy crash ride drumbeat, overdriven guitars, and vocals that come close to the powerful yells Durfey once delivered.
The last four tracks of the album gradually become less interesting, starting with the compelling "Enamore Me" and ending with the seven minute closer "Say Nothing". "Enamore Me" fits well with the album's exciting first side, following the format of slow and building verses to the final explosion of emotion. Tracks "Traces" and "The Queen" are relatively underwhelming when compared with the work previously exhibited earlier in the album, but "Traces" does manage to deliver an interesting arpeggiated guitar riff and heavy tom drumming. The album's final track "Say Nothing" is a bit too long for what it has to offer and could've easily been condensed into a shorter piece, considering its repetitive use of the same guitar riff. However, for brief moments, the band picks up the pace and Durfey once agains turns back to his yelling roots, which is always enjoyable.
Keep You's downfall lies within drummer David Haik's position. He takes a much more refined approach to his drumming on the record, which suits the style, but falls flat when compared with his punchy and jaw dropping drumming showcased on past albums. There are no grooves that can be compared with the intro to "Spine" off The Lack Long After or the fast timing and syncopation of "Sleepshaker" off Old Pride. Haik still shows his prowess, but never becomes a focus. Keep You also has little musical variation between songs, and one of the only distinguishing factors is Durfey's vocals or the occasional guitar riff. The tracks easily blend into one another if the listener directs their focus somewhere else for a moment or two.
Keep You delivers an impressive amount of new material, longer than the past two albums but short enough to remain interesting. While it turns away from the more sporadic and lively sound of The Lack Long After and Old Pride, it is a worthy addition to Pianos Become The Teeth's growing discography. What is most impressive is the ability to take a new musical direction without alienating old fans. The band manages to combine some of the best elements from their old albums - the saddening lyrics, slow, grooving tempos, heavy drum beats, and clean, beautiful guitar passages - with the newer sound of singing and a greater sense of melody. It is rare that a band can create such an enjoyable record when they try something completely new. Keep You solidifies Pianos Become The Teeth's existing place in the underground and indie scene, and has potential to sky rocket them into a larger fan base that is well deserved.
