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The Saddest Landscape

After The Lights

Written by: PP on 21/06/2012 17:52:43

Chaotic screamo, emotionally charged post-hardcore, 'the wave' style post-hardcore. Call it what you want, but this style of music, a revivalist throwback to the original screamo scene of the 90s, is really, really in right now. Aside from the main contenders in the genre, countless new bands are blossoming as a direct inspiration to the uncompromising array of emotion exhibited by all these bands, including The Saddest Landscape who are one of the main bands circulating on everyone's lips. They are like the response to the lack of honesty and emotion present in today's music industry, the antidote to the fake and pretentious bands that capture all the headlines these days. As such, "After The Lights" is yet another misanthropic, gloomy display of how ugly and chaotic music can sound like while still sounding excellent, thanks to the unrelenting passion and tremendous emotion that the songs are delivered with, which works as a contrasting element of beauty in the midst of the chaotic instrumentation that their expression is built around.

Their 2010 album "You Will Not Survive" was already an excellent effort in the genre, and "After The Lights" is basically a continuation of that sound, except with a little less post-rock influence and a lot more 90s screamo in the vein of Kaospilot, Saetia etc. It takes a little while getting used to their vocalist's anguished vocal delivery, which sounds like he's hanging by a thread from a cliff screaming for help in utter and complete desperation, but that's the whole point: he sounds like he's literally dying on stage. Perhaps he isn't as incredible as the guy from Pianos Become The Teeth, who by the way are the most obvious reference alongside Suis La Lune, but his loose, shuddering voice is a perfect fit to the chaos omnipresent on this record.

Of course, there are quieter lulls placed all over the record, because like the majority of the bands in this style, The Saddest Landscape try to maximize the classic quiet/loud dynamic to its full extent to fortify their emotionally intense expression. This, however, is an area where The Saddest Landscape are lagging behind their contemporaries in Defeater and Pianos Become The Teeth. Though emotions are worn on their sleeve throughout, it doesn't sound like their heart is being dragged behind a motorcycle scratching on the asphalt surface, for the lack of a better expression. In other words, the intensity is a little bit different. That said, The Saddest Landscape compensate with some strong melodies that rely a little less on the desperation-driven anguish and more on a good lyric or a strong overall melody. It sounds pretty good - but in the end it admittedly feels like a step down from their previous album.

Download: In Love With The Sound,
For the fans of: Pianos Become The Teeth, Defeater, United Nations, Suis La Lune
Listen: Facebook

Release date 14.02.2012
Topshelf Records