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Scream! Shout! Say Nothing

The Animals Still Run This City

Written by: TL on 04/02/2009 15:35:57

"The Animals Still Run This City" is the first album from UK based Scream! Shout! Say Nothing, and I say album clinging to the definition of an EP being a record with no more than 30 minutes worth of music, because with its mere five tracks, "The Animals.." looks like an EP at first glance. However, with three tracks clocking in at over five minutes, the longest of which, "Einstein I Ain't" reaching a monumental 11 minute mark, the total lenght of 35 minutes makes it an album in my book.

Enough about that though. Let's start back at start with the first track "When It All Goes Dark The Animals Still Rule This City", which starts out very similarly to the hardcore/punk rock of Tribute To Nothing's latest long player, as it kicks in with scratched singing, twangy guitars and a commonwealth accent. It soon enough fades into experimentation however, and proceeds to display the style that is the name of SSSN's game throughout the rest of this album. Songs that build layer upon layer and gradually drag themselves to great levels of intensity, as the hardcore singing is exchanged first for yelling, later for screaming, fitting the emotional charging of the section of the music, and finally coming to abrupt tranquil breaks with passionate Thrice/Thursday-esque singing and choirs added for extra epic-ness. A constantly distanced but sorrowful mood is maintained, which should really catch on to fans of Boysetsfire and Thrice in a flash, and already on track 2, "Fulfil Your Roles Boys... Fulfil The Roles", we're introduced to a horn section that reminds sufficiently of Battle Creek to also stir an interest in their fans I think, even if they remain as back-up for the main instruments.

The 11 minutes and 18 seconds of "Einstein I Ain't" are obviously meant to be the album's centrepiece, but while it works well, it has yet to reveal any parts to me that catch on as strong as some found in the other songs, be it the "We can't see the woods for the trees.. and we can't see the trees for the concrete.. expanding" of the opener, the "All of you are on your own and - here alone I'm surrounded!" of the following song, or the downright infectious "Even Rome had sewers! Even Rome had sewers!" that ends the last song "Gimme' Inner Peace Or I'll Mop The Floor With Ya'". Regardless, all five songs on offer are stunners, and "The Animals Still Run This City" remains an impressively intelligent screamo/hardcore hybrid, and all I really want from this band before I pull out the really big grades, is that they build on their strenghts a bit more, so that we may soon experience some truly breathtaking moments from their hands.. Oh, and a bit more than five tracks wouldn't hurt my impression of the next album either.

Download: When It All Goes Dark The Animals Still Run This City, Gimme' Inner Peace Or I'll Mop The Floor With Ya', The River
For The Fans Of: Boysetsfire, Tribute To Nothing, Thursday, Thrice
Listen: myspace.com/screamshoutsaynothing

Release Date: 25.08.2008
Scylla Records