Review Summary: Forgiveness
A lot of times, an artist uses their music as a way to convey a message about what they are going through. Emo is a genre where this is especially true, with albums being ever so personal to both the artist and thus the audience who identifies with them. Lou Diamond, one of my favorite artists, has had a troubled past. Sure what they did was extremely wrong, but their music isn't a gospel of their ethics. So it gets a lot of kids riled up when an artist personal to them does something they are against. People feel the need to dismiss the work as though it is tied to the artist's personal life. This album proves that you can remove the artist from the art.
And it really pays off. Fail Better Heal Faster is a journey of melancholy and energy. Lou Diamond's amazing vocals dance around his intricate guitar leads and rhythms. As a guitarist myself, I'm amazed at how dexterous their fingers are. The song Queer Recover Club is a perfect example, with its crazy fast sweeps across the neck. Yet there is a sparseness in the music. It feels very spacious and able to breathe despite the high energy. This makes certain moments, like the climax to Cleo, even more powerful. Each song is dynamic and progresses in a really unique way. And each of the songs are varied, which is a nice surprise from their previous work. JANK was always a bit too samey, and frankly this is easily a way better album than JANK or even Panucci’s Pizza's albums ever were. Anyone not listening to the album is missing out.
One of the ways the album offers a bit of forgiveness in that it is LGBT friendly. This is something seldom seen in music and is very refreshing. Its something that is obviously good and being in the album shows maturity. Lyrics on Queer Recover Club: “you can take whats in my pants” are left extremely ambiguous, offering a new meaning to each listener and new listen. Beyond that, it serves as an apologetic manifesto. I bet a lot of them still eat at chick fil a, but that is besides the point.
The atmosphere of the album is outstanding. Its nothing really new, especially in context of JANK, but its on point as ever. It feels very twinkley and indie. Its intense and mellow at the same time, feeling like hormonal emotions running rampant. There is just something that clicks about the soundscapes of the album. It immediately connected with me. Not necessarily the lyrics or what its about, but just the sincerity of it. It is one of those albums that I can feel resonate deep inside of me. I just love to identify with the sounds on here and encourage you to try and do the same. This is really great music from a dying scene.
Recommended Tracks:
Cleo
Vermont
Allostatic Load
