From A Second Story Window - Delenda
Blackmarket Activities - BMA012 - 2006
By Gareth Clews
From A Second Story Window have already managed to establish themselves as one of the strongest touring forces in the underground, having completed shows with the likes of Between The Buried And Me, Ion Dissonance and Darkest Hour; all on the back of their debut Not One Word Has Been Omitted .
On the initial listen of Delenda, a concept album, there was a confusion seeping from my very pores when the first track 'Acknowledgement' came through. Defying my expectations, the opener is an instrumental track that probably wouldn't sound too out of place on a Reigns album, all sinusoidal piano and haunting melodies.
This was soon replaced with the usual comfort that one feels when their ears start to bleed, when 'Soft Green Fields' kicked in with an urgency that grabs you by the seat of the keks and has you begging to lease. Now their choice of tour partners becomes clear; the band weigh in equal parts of all of them without sounding like a carbon copy of any. This is also their first recording with debutant vocalist Will Jackson who can growl with the best of them, but once you get to tracks like 'Ghosts Over Japan', which also has the title 'Acceptence' (all of the songs have two titles in the inlay – it’s part of the concept) it turns out that he can really sing too, albeit in a typical emo sounding way without being too whiny. The lyrics are a conversation, carrying the album’s concept – it’s far from emo, set apart purely by its intelligence. Standout tracks are the instrumentals and clean vocals songs, but not that this detracts from the rest, it is just their difference and excellent placing that makes it.
Anyone who has previously heard work from this lot may be a bit disappointed to hear that the tracks on this album have been pretty much slashed in half, taking three to four minutes instead of the usual eight. This doesn't, however, make them any more commercial, instead showcasing their talents for other musical forms, and letting them get more variety into their already famed live sets. With Delenda, FASSW look like they will climb through the pile of carcasses to the top of the underground leaving all of their peers in their wake.
8/10
UM's Review Rating Scale
Official FASSWWebsite
Official Blackmarket Activities Website
Blackmarket Activities - BMA012 - 2006
By Gareth Clews
From A Second Story Window have already managed to establish themselves as one of the strongest touring forces in the underground, having completed shows with the likes of Between The Buried And Me, Ion Dissonance and Darkest Hour; all on the back of their debut Not One Word Has Been Omitted .
On the initial listen of Delenda, a concept album, there was a confusion seeping from my very pores when the first track 'Acknowledgement' came through. Defying my expectations, the opener is an instrumental track that probably wouldn't sound too out of place on a Reigns album, all sinusoidal piano and haunting melodies.
This was soon replaced with the usual comfort that one feels when their ears start to bleed, when 'Soft Green Fields' kicked in with an urgency that grabs you by the seat of the keks and has you begging to lease. Now their choice of tour partners becomes clear; the band weigh in equal parts of all of them without sounding like a carbon copy of any. This is also their first recording with debutant vocalist Will Jackson who can growl with the best of them, but once you get to tracks like 'Ghosts Over Japan', which also has the title 'Acceptence' (all of the songs have two titles in the inlay – it’s part of the concept) it turns out that he can really sing too, albeit in a typical emo sounding way without being too whiny. The lyrics are a conversation, carrying the album’s concept – it’s far from emo, set apart purely by its intelligence. Standout tracks are the instrumentals and clean vocals songs, but not that this detracts from the rest, it is just their difference and excellent placing that makes it.
Anyone who has previously heard work from this lot may be a bit disappointed to hear that the tracks on this album have been pretty much slashed in half, taking three to four minutes instead of the usual eight. This doesn't, however, make them any more commercial, instead showcasing their talents for other musical forms, and letting them get more variety into their already famed live sets. With Delenda, FASSW look like they will climb through the pile of carcasses to the top of the underground leaving all of their peers in their wake.
8/10
UM's Review Rating Scale
Official FASSWWebsite
Official Blackmarket Activities Website
