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Thieves and Villains - Movement

Rating

RIYL

We the Kings
The Audition
Scary Kids Scaring Kids
Across Five Aprils

Label

Victory Records

Tracklist

1. Dry Throats Unite
2. Movement
3. Let Go
4. I Have Spread Some Love
5. Everyone Believes
6. All I Needed
7. Shimmer
8. Who Am I To Say The Night
9. Atlantic Lungs
10. Worlds Apart
11. Settle New York, Settle

Considering that "emo" is now a genre that is about to enter its third decade (and second in its modern incarnation), it's kind of tough to cast it to the side as just a musical fad that most of us wish would go ahead and die already. While the genre is definitely not what one would have thought it would have become while listening to the excellent Texas is the Reason or Lifetime, it does have its share of unique, contributing bands that continue to give the genre relevancy and the respect it needs to stay afloat. However, for every band that is responsible for giving listeners hope and joy, there are 1,000 who almost ruin it with their generic and been-there-done-that approach to making records. Thieves and Villains, one of the fourth-gen bands that are combining the early elements of emo with progressive rock and pop, kind of fall into an area that's somewhere in between both extremes. They're not doing anything new or really interesting, but they're not so painfully generic that they're completely worthy of being someone's beer coaster.

Their debut album, Movement, which was written while the band was stashed away at a rented lake house, is very much a product of its time. It takes the powerful, clean-sounding production pioneered and perfected by Aaron Sprinkle (who produces just about every record released by Tooth & Nail), mixes it with previous Victory successes like The Audition and Driver Side Impact, and adds just the right amount of atmospheric pop -- resulting in an album that's a little less catchy than most of its peers, but has just the right amount of hooks to make it worthy of repeat listens. Considering the average age of each band member at the time of the album's recording (around 20), it's a little easier to give the band the break they so obviously are aiming for. The vocals are soaring and enjoyable, the guitars have just the right amount of airy-ness to them, and the drums are safely tucked away in the background as to not overpower the vocals -- which is fine and dandy.

As a whole, Movement succeeds by being an enjoyable listen. However, it fails by being predictable and a little on the flat side production-wise. Whether or not this album takes off will be entirely based on how many other bands the purchaser has had the pleasure/pain of hearing in 2008, because when it all comes down to it, it doesn't really matter if you buy this record because another one that sounds just like it will be released next week.

--Timothy Golden

Author

tim

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