Have Heart - Songs to Scream at the Sun

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RIYL

Battery
Verse
Down To Nothing
Shipwreck AD

Tracklist

1. the same son
2. bostons
3. pave paradise
4. on the bird in the cage
5. brotherly love
6. no roses, no skies
7. the taste of the floor
8. reflections
9. hard bark on the family tree
10. the same sun

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Have Heart grew to be hardcore frontrunners almost over night it seems. From a band that rarely toured outside of the United States, 2005’s gigantic The Things We Carry transformed the band into a powerhouse in almost every hardcore hotspot around the world – traveling to every continent save for Africa and Antarctica – and even being named one of AP Magazine’s “Bands To Know”. Will Have Heart’s sophomore Bridge 9 Records release, Songs To Scream At The Sun, find the band vaulting to an almost immaculate like status or wither away into nothingness?

The first 10 seconds of Songs To Scream At The Sun are enough to sum up the album as a whole, both lyrically and musically: abrasive, atmospheric, brooding, heartfelt and honest. Though the vocals seem to be buried more so here than on The Things We Carry, frontman Pat Flynn is still able to put forth a powerful enough performance to ignite a fire of ferocious grunts that hint toward sincere lyrical material which starts with the opening track, “The Same Son”, when Flynn unleashes, “When I look into the mirror I see a boy not a man”. Flynn spills his guts all over the floor on this release as he opens up about the process of growing up in Boston, MA and the things he’s lost and gained along the way, including relationships with friends and family, and living life in a grueling environment that never sees change, as opposed to a comforting life on the road.

The band's last release, The Things We Carry, left a few bitter spots on the tongue as the record as a whole had a few eccentrically awkward guitar riffs and drum fills that became more apparent over time in certain areas of the disc. In comparison, Songs To Scream At The Sun showcases Have Heart as they carefully smooth out the rough edges that were previously evident, allowing every song to flow flawlessly without sounding too similar from the last. Guitars on this effort are filled with heavy distortion that both wail and drift impressively from melody to destruction, while drums and bass bounce and boom slickly with every hit and stroke further feeding fuel to the fire started by Flynn.

Though Songs To Scream At The Sun is of excellent-quality, there is not necessarily an immediate impact that grabs the listener by the throat like Verse’s Aggression did at first listen, Verse being Bridge 9’s other blockbuster band. Then again, 21 minutes is never enough time to fully relate to or grasp the sure intensity and emotion put forth by a human being, especially when it hits this hard. The upside of Songs To Scream At The Sun being incredibly short is that the record screams for listeners to pay attention once more and to pick up on the subtleties strewn and hidden throughout by both band members and hardcore producer extraordinaire, Kurt Ballou, alike.

It will no doubt be quite difficult to exceed the expectations set by Songs To Scream At The Sun, but if this record is any indication of the direction Have Heart are headed in, they will surely be propelled far and beyond into a status of household names in both the hardcore world and the uncharted waters outside of it.

--Daniel Alcinii

Author

danal
Last updated: 09/29/2009 09:00PM

Comments

Rick Gebhardt
08/12/2008
08:29AM
Age: 31
Location
Minnesota
I really liked this release but, man, was it short. They needed about 5-7 more songs on here. This is like an EP, not a full length.

Find me EVERYWHERE:

danal
08/12/2008
09:19AM
Age: 25
Location
Toronto, Ontario
I understand what you're saying, Rick, but I think that if it were 5 to 7 tracks longer the album would have been a little drawn out. Since none of their previous releases have moved past the thirty minute mark I didn't expect this one to either, but I think with maybe 2 more tracks the album would have been spectacular in length.

"Use short sentences. Use short first paragraphs. Use vigorous English. Be positive, not negative."

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jamoncito
08/12/2008
11:12AM
Age: 23
Location
Los Angeles
A+ album.

Lot of influence from bands like Quicksand that I just dig on so hard.

Not best of the year but up there indeed.
cloudscollide
08/12/2008
11:51AM
Age: 23
Location
PA
One of the more disappointing albums of the year for me. I really like a few songs like Bostons, and Pave Paradise, and in all, it's a good record for the hardcore genre, but it's so uninspiring compared to their last record, and the new Verse. 50% of this CD is ring outs...did the guitarists forget how to play? It's unnecessary how many ring outs there are mid song when the album is only 21 minutes long. When your songs average a minute and a half long, and almost like 40 seconds of them are ring outs with the vocalist screaming over it...this is one of the reasons why I barely listen to this album, with the exception of like 3 songs.

Music Blog.
Depths blog. (my band)

logan37
08/12/2008
12:03PM
Age: 21
Location
Toronto
cloudscollide
One of the more disappointing albums of the year for me. I really like a few songs like Bostons, and Pave Paradise, and in all, it's a good record for the hardcore genre, but it's so uninspiring compared to their last record, and the new Verse. 50% of this CD is ring outs...did the guitarists forget how to play? It's unnecessary how many ring outs there are mid song when the album is only 21 minutes long. When your songs average a minute and a half long, and almost like 40 seconds of them are ring outs with the vocalist screaming over it...this is one of the reasons why I barely listen to this album, with the exception of like 3 songs.


qft
homemadebullshit
08/12/2008
01:43PM
Age: 28
Location
Ann Arbor, MI
i love this cd

DETH ROK!!!!

monkeybars
08/12/2008
02:30PM
Age: 25
Location
Markham, ON
This album and the new Verse have got me back into hardcore.

P.S. This is what the alphabet would look like if you removed Q and R.

jamoncito
08/13/2008
03:29AM
Age: 23
Location
Los Angeles
cloudscollide
One of the more disappointing albums of the year for me. I really like a few songs like Bostons, and Pave Paradise, and in all, it's a good record for the hardcore genre, but it's so uninspiring compared to their last record, and the new Verse. 50% of this CD is ring outs...did the guitarists forget how to play? It's unnecessary how many ring outs there are mid song when the album is only 21 minutes long. When your songs average a minute and a half long, and almost like 40 seconds of them are ring outs with the vocalist screaming over it...this is one of the reasons why I barely listen to this album, with the exception of like 3 songs.

You must not like blacklisted then.

Eh, I see what you're saying, I just don't agree; because....

I think I'm one of the only people that does not care about how long an album is. At all. I can choose to wish for more but I can not be mad at an album for being to short... ala the new trash talk. Sure, I wish I got a half hours more worth of music, but it just isn't in the cards.

Also, I have never even possibly begun to comprehend how someone can call this uninspired by any means. Flynn's vocals sound hoarse by the end of the album from the passion in his voice. Maybe I just hear it differently; but in my opinion there is far more urgency and passion on this disc than both their previous ep and full length.

But alas, these are just my opinions, and in the grand scheme of things, who cares if I like something and you don't, or vice versa. Don't listen to mine or anyone else's comments if you haven't heard this. Pick up the damn thing and judge for yourself.