Review Summary: A great start to a new band.
"The Love You Let Too Close" is the debut album by Thousand Below, a post-harcore band. The music and lyrics seemed to be fueled by a past loss, as such both aspects are tinged with emotion, and even a little aggression. Now for the individual elements.
The LYRICS: I don't like researching what a song or album is about, but rather, I let the message reach me through the lyrics. As such, it seems that whatever loss singer James Deburg has to deal with abandonment, maybe by many people. Lyrics are sad in places. Some lyrics come across as melodramatic, while others are good. None of the songs are happy, and many moments are angry, yet never sound like the metal genre.
The singing is a mix of loud singing, soft crooning, and stretched out rough screaming. The album is very chorus-focused. And most of them are very catchy choruses.
The INSTRUMENTATION: Guitars, drums, and piano are the focus here. Pianos are used for ambience, and have no memorability outside of one song. That being said, that piano, which begins "No Place Like You" sounds too similar to Bring Me The Horizon's "And The Snakes Start To Sing".
The drums are very nondescript, bringing no attention to themselves. Very forgettable. The guitars are what stand out, at times being slow and at times being fast; they well compliment the vocals. The only times I had issue with the guitars is in the song "Carry the Weight", where the beginning riff sounds eerily similar to Paramore's "Decode". After that, the song gains its own identity.
The PRODUCTION: Production is good. Even if sometimes the instrumentation over-shadows the vocals, you still know what he is sayingscreaming. You'll get moments when the song will fade away, feeling cavernous while a single instrument (and maybe a repeated vocal phrase) loops in the background. Guitars feel heavy, drums range from concussive to mild taps, depending on the song.
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The HIGH POINTS: The best songs on the album are the most memorable, with emotional lyrics, enjoyable riffs and catchy vocal patterns...
No Place Like You
Sleepless
The Wolf and the Sea
Tradition
Vein
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The LOW POINTS: I really enjoyed every song on the album, so the ones in the Low Point section are simply the songs that might be melodramatic, or immemorable....
Into The Gray
The Love You Let Too Close
Follow Me Home
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Final Thoughts: A very good album worth a few listens. The tone is consistent as well as strong, with songs that sound somewhat similar, without feeling like you're listening to the same thing over and over.
