V/A - Balance and Composure / Tigers Jaw Split
Rating
RIYL
Brand NewThe Promise Ring
The Get Up Kids
Release Date
05/18/2010
Label
No Sleep RecordsTracklist
1. Balance and Composure – Kaleidoscope2. Balance and Composure – Burdens
3. Balance and Composure – Rope
4. Balance and Composure – Twenty-Four
5. Tigers Jaw – Lodging
6. Tigers Jaw – Jet Alone
7. Tigers Jaw- Danielson
8. Tigers Jaw - Dent
Users Rating |
Your RatingCreate an account or log in to rate this album |
Recent Ratings |
|
|
|
|
|
Splits need to be done more often. In an age where people are increasingly hesitant to spend money on anything, especially music, being able to sample two bands for one cheap package is a deal that’s more convenient for the artists, the labels and the listeners When the split is between two stellar young bands on the rise, like Balance and Composure and Tigers Jaw, listeners are in for a musical one-two punch that delivers some serious impact
The first band on the four-song-each split is Doylestown, PA’s Balance and Composure. They’ve released a few songs here and there, and they’ve shown themselves to be a band we all need to pay close attention to. Combining the loud-to-soft but always intense dynamics of Brand New and the scrupulous attention to atmosphere and texture of Thrice’s newer output, this five piece creates some seriously detailed work. “Kaleidoscope” is a fantastic opener that churns along with heavy guitars, emotive and unhinged vocals and an all around desperate feeling. But even among all the controlled, melodic chaos, they’re able to bring in some quieter, dreamy breaks where the listener gets a beautiful reprieve from the twisting, hulking music. Although Balance and Composure pretty much use the same recipe in every song, the confidence and competence is on full display throughout, leading to one standout part after another. One standout is the bridge in “Burdens,” which features a creepy build up with the lyrics, “Do you feel heat? Cause I’m creeping up the side of your bed and onto the sheets,” delivered in an strained manner that oozes sincerity. Another is the big ending in “Twenty-Four” where the full-on rock chorus breaks into a choppy, dirty scream session. This band is somehow able to pack more into a four-song EP than most bands can do in a full album.
Scranton, PA’s Tigers Jaw has the final four on the split. Instead of just being another young band on the scene aping whatever is popular at the time, their side of the split has them paying homage to 90’s Midwest emo acts like early Get Up Kids and most noticeably The Promise Ring. This amounts to straightforward power chord ragers paired with honest, simple and awkwardly sung vocals. While they are nowhere near as complex or nuanced as Balance and Composure, they make up for it in pure maladroit energy. “Lodging” kicks their half off with a fury, and the band never slows down. While the opener doesn’t have much in the way of loud-quiet dynamics, there is an organ playing simple chords in the background that makes this straightforward song something special. “Jet Alone” allows the band to explore breezy chords, odd riffs and slightly off-key harmonies without losing their street cred. “Dent” uses an almost classic rock sounding riff as a springboard for the band to explore slower tempos that still bare just as much heart-on-sleeve honesty and nervous energy as anything else put out in the last twenty years.
If I had to pit these two bands against each other as evidenced in this split, I would have to say that Balance and Composure has the slight lead over Tigers Jaw. However, I really don’t like to pit bands against each other. But what I do know is that if your tastes fall anywhere on the emo/post-hardcore spectrum, you can’t go wrong picking up this split. In the Balance and Composure vs. Tigers Jaw world, we’re all winners.
--Stephen Harris
Comments