Crime In Stereo - I Was Trying To Describe You To Someone
Rating
RIYL
Brand NewRefused
Thrice
Release Date
02/23/2010
Label
Bridge NineTracklist
1. queue moderns2. drugwolf
3. exit halo
4. not dead
5. odalisque
6. young
7. type one
8. republica
9. I am everything I am not
10. dark island city
11. I cannot answer you tonight
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Ambition is a double-edged sword. Reaching farther than anyone else ever has and passing frontiers untouched by human minds is a noble feat, but it can also push you over the edge. Julius Caesar was able to become one of the greats because of his unbridled ambition, but it also caused a few of his closest friends to stab him to death. On I Was Trying To Describe You To Someone, Crime in Stereo is reaching far past their melodic hardcore roots, and pushing farther past their most recent experiment Is Dead. The Long Island natives’ newest album has shown that if you reach far enough, some of what you do will make it to the proverbial other side, but much of it will just crumble into a big mess.
The nasty aspects of experimenting and pushing forward hit you up front on I Was Trying To Describe You to Someone. The first track, “Queue Moderns,” opens up with a sparse drum machine and ambient guitar noises that quickly fade into off-kilter guitars and ethereal vocals. The band soon adds in spacey layers and harmonies, all which swirl around in a dreamy haze. Then, in a split-second, the band jumps into a screaming, seething jazzy hardcore section. This all sounds good in theory, but in practice, it translates into a giant mess. The next two tracks are almost as messy, with “Drugwolf” dropping into slightly more conventional rock music at times, while still meeting the random noise quotient. “Exit Halo” is a five-minute sprawl that covers every facet of the loud/quiet dynamic, almost to the point of nausea.
The biggest problem on this album may be the pacing, because things get better after the first three songs, which are the most experimental. The rest of the album does post-hardcore-meets-Brand New decently well. Most songs adhere to the formula of beginning with a reverbed guitar laying behind some strained vocals, then a loud part, and then switching between the quieter verses and the loud choruses until a bridge leads into a louder, culminating chorus. At times, the band does this formula very well. “Odalisque”’s bridge has the band playing with rhythm and ducking in and out over soaring guitars in a great Moneen impression. The chorus in “Not Dead” features some haunting, shrill background vocals that become catchy in a grotesque way. Lastly, the album closer “I Cannot Answer You Tonight” is Crime in Stereo at their closest to traditional hardcore, but they add in enough tension-filled swells and loops to make the song something special.
Even if you put aside the album’s pacing problems, which place the most intimidating songs at the forefront, this album is still just mediocre. Their attempts at throwing in varying influences is admirable, but much of it sounds incredibly disconnected. At best, Crime in Stereo has some good hardcore-influenced rock songs with just enough experimentation to make us think they were trying. At its worst, I Was Trying to Describe You To Someone has songs that meander and end up nowhere and often feel like experimentation just to be weird. Ambition has pushed Crime in Stereo to reach new heights, but if this mediocre album shows us anything, it is that they haven’t yet learned how to reign in their dreams to create something truly outstanding.
--Stephen Harris
Comments
Lehigh Valley, PA
This band has completely let me down as of late. They, in my opinion, have turned into another Brand New. "Lets start getting weird to be cool and not play the music fans originally fell in love with." I'm all for progressing as musicians but there's a point that just should never be crossed. I found this album hard to get through and very disappointing. In my eyes, CIS is no longer.
Minnesota
...huh, go figure, Bill and I disagree. Never figured that would happen :-)
I've loved this band's progression. Is Dead was an album I initially didn't like, but it grew on me pretty quickly. This album, while not as good as Is Dead, was similar in that it took me a little bit to actually get into it. I'm actually glad CIS has continued to evolve their sound and I hope they keep doing so in the future.
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Lehigh Valley, PA
Is Dead was good but I saw this coming from a mile away. For me, someone who has been into punk/hardcore for a long ass time, it's hard to see a band held in such high regard like these guys are in that scene, "progress" to this. There is nothing punk or hardcore about CIS anymore. I just feel betrayed kind of.
Illinois
this album isn't too bad. still listening to it. i really like "drugwolf" but that might be cause i hate cops.
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Wollongong, New South Wales
just looking at the riyl's throw thrice in that group too. yeah this was really not that great. a couple songs are cool but mostly i think its his voice that cant keep up with the rest of th emusic it worked for what they were doing before, but now its not melodic enough AND not hardcore enough. But yeah brand new and thrice have both let me down with their last couple releases.
I heard this record was awesome and their they've been polarizing their fanbase lately. I'm going to have to pick this up.
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Oklahoma City, OK
They have really gone down hill. I listen to songs like "Play it loud fuckers" and "Bicycles for Afghanistan" and wonder how this could have happened.
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Lehigh Valley, PA
Glad someone effin agrees with me.
PA
I didn't listen to this yet but although I love Mr. Lohr, I think any fan of any band that is upset that they're not playing the same exact shit they and the fans fell in love with earlier, is stupid. Bill, sure you might not like this bands progression or style now, but don't be flabbergasted that they're not playing the same thing over and over. That's silly. That would be redundant. That only works with certain bands.
I know there are a thousand fans per band that do this with bands that change. Don't be one of those fans haha. I see it way too much with dredg. So many people want another El Cielo. Get over it. It's not going to happen. Progress with the band. Everyone wants Tool to do another Ænima. LOL. Fuck you, PLEASE.
Sure, I'll admit I don't like A Types by Hopesfall half as much as The Satellite Years and No Wings to Speak Of, but I still am a supporter and fan of Hopesfall and accepted their change and progressed with them. There are several other examples. This just bothers me a lot when people say things like 'Why won't they play music the way the way they used to?'.
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Lehigh Valley, PA
To me, this is not progression. When you set yourself in a genre of music, and that genre held you in such high regard to where you became a staple, then completely flip the shit...I'm sorry. I don't have respect for that . Is Dead was a perfect transition into their "progression" this is not, I'm sorry. I'm all for bands progressing, but with certain tact. This is an awful, awful attempt. I love you too Chris.
Seattle, WA
I don't know about professional musicians who are being paid by their fans to create music, but to me music should be made by the musician for the musician. If you were making music based on what you knew people wanted to hear, you've turned your artistic integrity into a business. We see this all the time, and in all reality it's nice to see that not happen in a style of music where so many bands are releasing the same music.
Yeah, dredg threw me for a loop after el cielo but their is something about dredg that encompasses more than their music. There are many elements of art in music that make up the complete composition you know? The content, arrangements, performance, philosophy in creation, integrity etc.. When you change the content people get pissed, but if you've maintained the integrity of the art then it should be accepted for what it is.
I think hardcore is a genre that's really hard to get out of with your integrity intact, without having the majority of your peers/fans shit all over you.
Coopersburg, PA
I haven't heard this release yet, but I didn't like this band until Is Dead so I will probably at least somewhat enjoy it. To Bill's point though, these dudes should have just changed their name because it's a completely different style of music. I'm all for progression as well, and I do like the genre change, keeping the same name is confusing though after making a genre leap like this.