BY MIKEY MIGO
Here's the basic run down. Every few weeks I take a deep listen to the entire studio discography of a band I've never listened to or paid attention to before. Sometimes my mind is blown and sometimes I find myself trapped in a three to six album long hell. Either way, I appreciate the fact of being able to say I've given the artist a more than fair chance and have an educated opinion on the work. The point of this series is to expand my own musical boundaries and maybe yours as well.
This time around we're listening to the four studio albums of "Coheed and Cambria". I don't know much about them. The people I do know that are fans of them are also fans of bands like "Mars Volta", which is cool but only in small doses for my tastes. I've also heard about how cool the music is. How it "takes you on a journey" and "can be pretty damn trippy" is often thrown out there. I do for a fact know that every album is tied together in some grand scheme concept. I'm a sucker for concept albums so I'm looking forward to this. Their music doesn't just provide a concept album, but rather a concept discography.
From what I remember hearing, I wasn't impressed. I'm not big into the louder whiney vocals and that's the perception I have of it going into it. For some reason when I see the band name "Coheed and Cambria" my mind automatically jumps to "emo". I honestly hope this isn't the case. Four albums, even with good music and an interesting concept, of "emo" will be hell. I am crossing my fingers that I've unfairly labeled them. None the less, I'm going into this with an open and optimistic mind. Now onto my somewhat coherent thoughts as I write in real time as I listen to the four album catalogue of "Coheed and Cambria".
ALBUM: The Second Stage Turbine Blade
YEAR: 2002
DURATION: 55:33
The concept story of the debut LP introduces us to man and wife "Coheed" and "Cambria". So off the bat I learn, and admit it you probably are too, that the lead singer's name ISN'T "Coheed". Basically, it's a very detailed story of the couple being faced with their past and forced to choose between killing their own children or face Armageddon. That's a pretty crazy story and I really hope the music translates this.
The album starts off with a pretty nicely composed instrumental self-titled intro. The slower build and nice melody of "Time Consumer" kicks off what is a really nice track. The vocals are a bit high pitched and does have some borderline "emo-screamo" styles, but so far it's not too jarring. "Devil in Jersey City" it's a more cut and dry up tempo track, but still manages to sound like the mellower track that precedes it. "Everything Evil" sounds really cool on my headphones. The plucky groove playing gives the song a pretty cool bounce. The breakdown about 3:30 in is nice, but the piano outro at the end makes it for me. So far in, despite the vocals being a little too high pitched for my tastes, I am more and more impressed with each progressing track. I take more notice of the emo vocals on "Delirium Trigger", but the music is so well done that I can't help but be taken on the intended journey of the song. "Hearshot Kid Disaster" starts off so cool and funky and then is destroyed with a girlie screech (I refuse to call it a "scream"). It's not a bad track, but it's easy to toss this one into my "least favorite so far" pile. "33" starts off with what sounds like a really good rock song and then turns into something very poppy. "Junesong Provision" has some interesting aspects, but still feels like it holds back from being as explosive as it could be. I'm not saying "over the top", but a little more cohesively interesting. The outro is awesome, but doesn't blend into the next song "Neverender". "Neverender" ends up being a good track, but not great. The album finishes off with "Godsend Conspirator". It's not as epic of a finish as I'd of expected, but still okay. "IRO-Bot" kicks in a short while after as a bonus "hidden track". It's a more down tempo track and the melody is very soothing and beautiful. This is definitely a proper finish to the album. The early part of the album stands out as being way better than most of the second half. The album is mostly "hit", but there's still a few "misses". Some stuff has way more intricate musical pieces and then some have very tame poppy/emo stuff that took me out of the album. Some of the musical compositions are well done. I really like the layers and melody of most of this album. The higher pitched vocals are jarring and make it understandable to lump this band in the dreaded perceived categorization. That withstanding, this album is pretty damn decent.
ALBUM: In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3
YEAR: 2003
DURATION: 69:24
In the lineage of the grand story this is the third installment of the tetralogy. It's ten years after the first album and it's about the son taking vengeance after his family's murder. I hope this means more aggressive. The opening instrumental "The Ring In Return" is a bit strange. A phone rings in the distance, a girl answers it, and what sounds like a lost score to "Zelda" plays. It builds up into a nice guitar intro on "In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3", the title track. It breaks into a good rock out and then into a much better sounding vocal. It's less screechy and just better sung. At least that how I'm hearing it. This song is emo-epic and I surprisingly mean that in the most positive way possible. At 8:13 long, I appreciate the fact that it's not a cookie cutter 4 minute radio cut. I realize that this isn't even the longest track, so I hope the quality remains. This song is the best I've heard so far of the group. It's one of those songs that every true music obsessor should hear at least once if only to form an opinion of it. "Cuts Marked In The March of Men" isn't as "emo-epic", but it's the most intense up tempo song I've heard thus far in. "Three Evils (Embodied in Love and Shadow)" is weak sauce. The album was progressing nicely with drama and melody and this is poppy emo-core. "The Crowing" is a step back in the right direction, but doesn't grab you as much as the first few tracks. "Blood Red Summer" sounds familiar. I see that it had a video, but sadly 2003 is much of a blur for me. It's a catchy song and feels like an 80's pop-rock single. If this was the first song I heard from the band and then picked up the CD I'd feel deceived. It doesn't have the same tone as anything else on the album. "The Camper Velourium I: Faint of Hearts"(long enough name, guys?) starts off a three song trilogy. It instantly gives a vibe that it's going to be on par with the early tracks. I can't get over the "Ca-Co-Cah-Chu" Beatles thing in it. Well crafted, but the tone and tempo sometimes crosses from pop-rock to flat out cheesy. It's almost like something that would be used for a made for TV movie on Nickelodeon or Disney channel. "II: Bankend of Forever" starts off a lot better. It's a more down beat song and has some dark ominous tones that keep my interest during the boring parts. The guitar is what carries it and gives it a favorable listening experience. "III: Al The Killer" is easily the best of this trilogy. It's a darker rock song and it's got a lot more edge than a good portion of what I've heard so far. The angrier singing voice at the start is almost shades of bad ass Lajon from "Sevendust"… almost. Outside of the more melodious epic type songs I've found myself liking so far, this is surely my favorite "rock song" on the album. I didn't even have to look it up to know that "A Favor House Atlantic" is a single. I've heard this song before. The vocals are higher pitch and the music is pop-rocky nastiness. This is probably where I labeled the band as "emo rock" and brushed them under the "I don't wanna hear this shit" rug. To this listener, their most popular song is the worst of the bunch. Sad, but true. Good they got a lot of exposure, sure but this song really doesn't give a proper reflection of the creativity and depth they put into their work, like said work or not. And then like it never happened, they go into a very beautiful melody in "The Light & The Glass". The vocals are tolerable because of how nice it sounds. Then it shifts to something with more rock behind it and it oddly enough loses me as it goes back and forth. The last couple minutes sound really cool and "trippy" on my headphones. It's a great finish to the track list, but an extra song was added to the count but remains unlisted as a "hidden track". Ooooh yes. An outdated-in-a-digital-world "hidden track". It's titled "21:13" and is similar to the other longer "emo epic" tracks, but it's a bit more upbeat and has more of a rock base to it. The vocal progression is key to maintaining my interest for so long though out this. I went from really disliking the scratchier earlier stuff to tolerating and even sometimes appreciating the cleaner and more harmonious vocals. The more pop-rock stuff, especially the single, felt really generic and safe. The more experimental tracks made the album listenable and more often than expected enjoyable.
ALBUM: Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness
YEAR: 2005
DURATION: 71:38
This one is apparently about the quest to protect this fantasy world as well as shedding more light into the spouses "Coheed" and "Cambria", a crazy monster virus, and older stories. Yeah, we'll see if all of that resonates on a first listen. The spree of starting with ominous instrumentals continues here with "Keeping The Blade". It's a beautifully constructed piece, but I have a feeling the violin-like sounds won't show up as much as I'd like on the rest of the tracks. Really outside of Trent Reznor, I can't think of that many other artists who have such beautiful instrumentals, be them a little too "Zelda". "Always & Never" starts with acoustic guitars and children giggling and talking. It's almost a folk lullaby type of song. This leads to "Welcome Home". I know it's a single, but I only vaguely remember it. I'm surprised I don't remember it more because it's a pretty decent rock track. Musically, it's almost as if Zeppelin were a little harder. The vocals sounding pretty good here is a huge plus considering that's my biggest gripe so far. To be perfectly honest, if this song was my first impression then I'd probably given them a chance sooner. It's a tightly done rock track that gives them more rock cred in my book. I already dug the experimental and expansive stuff, but if there's more flat out rock songs like this one then things will be in for an upswing. "Ten Speed (Of God's Blood and Burial)" initially had me cringing, but a few minutes in I found myself slightly head banging a long. "Crossing the Frame" had a very similar effect. Right now my ears and subconscious are battling my attention span. "Apollo I: The Writing Writer" starts off really interesting and then goes into a rather fine rock song. "Once Upon Your Dead Body" has tremendous guitar work, but it doesn't do much else to stand out. "Wake Up" is as emo as emo can be. I pick up something about the character being butt-sore about something and promising revenge respectfully. "The Suffering" picks it back up with a quasi-rock out track. "The Lying Lies & Dirty Secrets of Miss Erica Court" is a good track, but is lacking something I can't put my finger on. It's almost good enough to be a single, but no. "Mother May I" is the last normal song on the album. It's nothing special. It's well done, but nothing of substance resonates. Now we finish the album off with "The Willing Well". It's a four part song with each part being over seven minutes. That's creative and ambitious, but hopefully it's worth the half hour. "I: Fuel for the Feeling End" builds up into the "emo-epic" that I was wondering about. This one is a little less "emo", but elements still linger. It's still a good tune. "II: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness" goes into it kind of poppy tune with crazy lyrics. I guess that's the "madness" part. "III: Apollo II: The Telling Truth" didn't need to be over 7 minutes long. At four minutes it would of made for a better song. There's just too much uninteresting repetition. We finish off the album with "IV: The Final Cut". I starts off with bad ass guitar work and an intense bluesy tone and then it cuts to high range vocals. It's jarring, but as you accept it for what it is the lyrics catch up to you and I start to rock out a little to it. I'm a sucker for a good intense fade out album closer and that's what they got me with here. The production on this album is clearly tighter and crisp. A lot of times I'll personally prefer something with a little "grit", something that has such delicate precision at times really gains a lot on headphones. For the most part, this album was a huge improvement in terms of rocking out. You forget it's an "emo-core" band and just appreciate it for what it is. If this and the unconventional grand songs from early albums can meet in the middle then my opinion on the band could very easily change.
ALBUM: Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow
YEAR: 2007
DURATION: 60:12
The last released LP is the sequel to their third full length album. I couldn't find the scoop on what it's about persae, but I'm still unsure of what the first three were about so we should be in good shape regardless. With start with an eerie acoustic guitar, but in a change up the little over a minute track is NOT an instrumental. "No World for Tomorrow" starts off with strong guitars and goes into a solid rock song. I can't help but think about the vocals though. It kind of sounds like if Michael Jackson had been a suburbanite white kid, but with the same chops. The voice being so high takes me out of the well done rock element the musicianship provides. The opening to "The Hound (Of Blood and Rank)" is pretty cool, but the album turns into a glorified 80's montage song. The album's second single "Feathers" is more of the same. It's poppy rock sounding and sounds like a bad single. The first single "The Running Free" sounds like a more poppy RUSH B-side. I love me some RUSH, but this it's not. "Mother Superior" is my favorite track on the album thus far. It's got a beautiful melody and the vocals are very well harmonized. "Gravemakers & Gunslingers" kicks off like an 80's classic rock song and then fights from warping into a montage song. "Justice in Murder" is solid, but just sort of there. The guitar solo makes it worth listening to. I see the album ends with a five part story titled "The End Complete". The operatic 1 minute "I: The Fall of House Atlantic" starts us off and tells me to expect a journey for the next twenty something minutes. "II: Radio Bye Bye" is bouncy. I don't know what else to say. It's like another dozen songs on the past two albums, but it's rather bouncy. Then to contrast that, "III: The End Complete" is more of an epic. I can comfortably say this is more of a rock epic than a emo one. The structure and shifts in this track are very well done. "IV: The Road and the Damned" sounds like 80's rock, God-rock, and a buffet of other cringe-worthy subgenre styling's. We finish off with "V: On the Brink". It begins with an eeric and ominous instrumental chunk leading into smooth bluesy guitars never once losing that eerie feel. That goes into keys that sound like the 80's. It's hard to keep track of this stuff. I don't say that in a bad way, but it's just really varied in clashing styles. This album is well put together. It's not as good as "Volume One", but still worth a listen to the curious ear. I'd rank this one third out of the four albums released. They have a new album coming out in a few weeks. I'm curious how that may sound. If it's more in vein of this, but evolved then it may be pretty cool.
THE VERDICT
They openly admit to being "emo-core", so that's one strike that I personally took against them. It's not really my cup of tea, but I can respect it for being well done and creative. Their progressive musical styling's are great, but the emo-like vocals take me out of enjoying what would probably be a band I'd love otherwise. Not many bands of this genre area are a tenth as artistic and creative as these guys. There are bands in Chicagoland, and I'm sure in other places, that sound a lot like this band. The last two album specifically brings memories of sitting around impatiently waiting for openers to get through their set before getting to see a headliner we went for. It's cool to hear what they were trying to sound like. "Coheed and Cambria" hasn't been replicated thus far. Good on them for that. I'm four albums in this huge concept story and I really can't say that I've found myself into it at all. Some of the music has been expansive and epic, but it doesn't feel connected outside of musical styling and odd themes. I would assume this is something that many wouldn't get on the first listen or without some sort of cliff-note guide. I'm sure it's awesome when you know what's going on and into it. I appreciate that kind of presenting the art with the big picture in mind. It's not something I'd listen to normally, but it's very well produced and written. I use the term "emo epic" because that's probably the best way to give a cut and dry description of what this is. If you're not a fan of "emo" or any related genre this would be hard to really get into. It was definitely like that for me. I consider myself anti-emo as they come. Once I did settle in with it and give it a fair chance I found myself find a lot about it to appreciate. I'm not going to become a huge fan or anything, but I respect what they do and will be open minded to their future work.
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