Who? Trisorta
Where are they from? Flint, Michigan
What do they sound like? Bands like Trisorta are hard to come by these days. Trisorta have that guitar-oriented and moody emo vibe to them. Imagine Benton Falls and bands that once littered proud labels like Deep Elm. Sadly, they don’t make them like they once did. It doesn’t seem like the band is very active and that’s a shame cause their EP, …all else the sea, is quite a lovely debut offering.
If the name Chris Carrabba means anything at all to you, I suggest you stop reading right now, head on over to Deep Elm and just buy this record flat out. It’s only $9.99 and you’ll love it, trust me. And don’t forget to vote for Desoto Jones on your way in — they need your help to win Virtual MTV’s (wtf??) Battle of the Bands 2.
Now that the coast is clear…
Ride Your Bike and their debut album Bad News From The Bar are collectively little more than a blip on the trend-o-meter. With redeeming qualities being few and far between, and absolutely nothing even remotely original about it sound wise, Bad News From The Bar will, in all likelihood, begin to accumulate dust before long and ultimately wind up forgotten. But maybe I’m being a little harsh. There’s defniitely an audience for Mike Getches’ brand of s(n)appy indie pop, and I can see how an album like this would generate some new found attention for Deep Elm. Whether this is representative of a future incarnation of the label remains to be seen.
Criticisms aside, Getches deserves some praise. His voice, complete with its high-pitched dorkiness, is one that will grow on you if you allow it to. Despite my best efforts, vocals from “This Car is Hot as Hell” stuck in my head for longer than I would have liked. Considering my overall distaste for the album, that’s an accomplishment worth noting.
Who knows — maybe in a couple of years when Emo Diaries Chapter Fourteen: We’re Fresh Out of Ideas so We’re Just Gonna Milk It comes out, Ride Your Bike will have their place in history after all. Or at the very least, heavy rotation in the after school dance circuit — nestled snugly between “Hey There Delilah” and Panic At The Disco.
Fortunately, there’s a moral to be had from all of this: save the environment – ride your bike.
Genre: Indie/Pop
RIYL: Plain White T’s, Dashboard Confessional, etc.
Label: Deep Elm
Sticks And Stones
In the interest of full disclosure, I am excited to announce that I will now be working with Beartrap PR. Beartrap was started a few years ago by my buddy Chuck Daley who I worked with at Deep Elm Records. I have watched it grow tremendously and am honored to become a part of that growth. Chuck has worked with some amazing bands and I have covered many of them at SAL over the last few years. Here is Beartrap’s endearing little mission statement:
Beartrap is a DIY promotion and publicity company that’s focused on establishing a strong community with the people who are dedicated to making (or supporting) music for the sake of music.
I am not sure what all of this will mean for SAL. By no means are we dead though. Things might be a little sluggish at times but hopefully I will still be updating the site on a daily basis for the most part. However, this week might be a bit slow as I make the transition.
While it might raise some ethical questions, I assure you SAL will NOT become a Beartrap promotional site. Obviously, as of right now, I will not be reviewing any more Beartrap bands from here on out.
You know where to find me if you have any questions.
I can not believe that I am sitting here in the year 2008 and reviewing yet another chapter of the Emo Diaries. More than a few years ago Deep Elm thankfully ended their run of Emo Diaries at the nice round, perfect number of ten. Makes sense, right? The world rejoiced, some emo kids cried and we all moved on to bigger and better things. Yet, for some reason, Deep Elm has elected to bring back to life this compilation that just deserves to be left alone at this point.
Above Them – OK, this ain’t half bad. At times it reminds me of Waxwing. That is a good thing. But, the song is all over the place. Definitely promising though.
This Drama – Not too shabby…dance flavored indie rock with some screamy elements that I wish the band would embrace more.
While You Were Gone – Power pop/rock with female vocals. Oh, is this emo now?
Knockout Kings – Is Taking Back Sunday still around? Victory Records, do you have a spot left for these guys?
Andy Tanner & His Grand Piano – I dig Andy’s vocal style and this could be good if not for some questionable lyrics. “It’s nights like these that I wish I had a girl.” C’mon now!
The Crash Engine – The name just gives it away. I knew what this was gonna sound like before I even heard it. Generic.
The Decoration – Oh, I actually like this. Kinda reminds me of a band like Nada Surf. Well done.
I’m Fashion, You’re Victim – Besides being one of the worst band names ever, I’m Fashion, You’re Victim play metal “fashion” core. Oh yeah!
Young Hearts – Ah, these guys are too good to be on this comp. Rad pop/punk…can I get some more please?
The City Beautiful – Better than most of the stuff on here. Unique sounding and hell, they’re from Antarctica, so that’s pretty cool.
My Awesome Compilation – Easily taking second place in worst band names on Emo Diaries Chapter Eleven. Did they write this song for a boxing movie or something? I feel so motivated now. Think I’ll pass.
Panel – Rocking but entirely too long and on the verge of irritating.
OK, so, overall that was a disappointing listen. Probably not as bad as I was expecting but four or five memorable songs out of twelve is a poor average for any compilation. And for someone who actually owns all ten of the Emo Diaries (don’t laugh, I got them for free), I can honestly say this is the least memorable. So, please, do us a favor Deep Elm, stop beating a dead horse. You’re just making it (much, much) worse.
Genre: Emo?
RIYL: Emo?
Label: Deep Elm
“A stunning collision of post-rock and emo the likes rarely seen.” – Sound As Language
What a fabulous press quote! Hard to believe I reviewed Moving Mountains‘ Pneuma almost a year ago now. It’s nice to see Deep Elm embracing their roots with the release of this amazing debut album. Until now, it has only been available digitally. All you “Emo Is Awesome” fans make sure you check it out.
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