THIS BEAUTIFUL MESS
Falling On Deaf Ears (Deep Elm)
Reviewed by Jason Thornberry

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As the wall marked Been There Done That edges ever closer, the fans dwindle and yawn, and the entire Emo sound becomes very last year, the groups bringing releases out today are forced to move as expeditiously as they can into a number of musical camps:

A) Assuming the more pop-oriented identity of (quite nearly) every Emo band’s favorite rawk quartet, Weezer. B) Attaching a noticeably beefier low end thunder to an angry, arithmetical roar as the breathy, pocket-protector yelps of yesterday are converted into the backward Starter cap shrieks of the present moment’s Metal scene. C) Becoming melancholy dream-pop ala Slowdive, Red House Painters, or any number of the very moody, very lush, very ambient groups not subscribing to any exacting tune movements. D) Moving to semi-straight ahead hardcore punk (see Assfactor 4).

Emo-Core has its own branch of Devoted Disciples, who will hungrily snatch up just about anything having to do with Sunny Day Real Estate, Far, Angel Hair, Jimmy Eat World, Still Life, Dag Nasty, Rites of Spring, Swing Kids, Antioch Arrow, Hot Water Music, The Get Up Kids, Nation of Ulysses, The Promise Ring, Honeywell, etc. They'll merrily sport the essential gear of any proper Emo Kid too: the Spock haircut, a shoulder bag or man purse with a copy of anything by Jawbreaker on vinyl--whether they have a turntable or not--fake eyeglasses to appear intellectually convincing, black hair dye, Emo beads, tiny t-shirts, and highwater slacks.

This Beautiful Mess's career is launched with the members' cheeks resting against said wall. But is it a barrier to them? They seem to simply utilize it for reference, and move in tight circles around the thing, only sporadically falling back on the scene.

For instance, the singer, Arjen’s voice breaks with a dose of ersatz theatrics as "Black Is The New Red" ends in a splat. "Falling On Deaf Ears" gets off to a great start, and all is fine, until that moment which could have acted as a reminder to me and the band: old habits die hard. This is a well-built debut otherwise, and I'm hoping they continue to recoil from the facade that is Emo-Snore.

© 2001 - Jason Thornberry