OK, time for another one of my band threads that everyone will ignore. 
I can't stand by and let Stand-Up Guy be ignored. Before many of you read further, know that they are a -core band.
OK, so now that the wimps are gone, anyone that likes Neurosis' Times of Grace and Souls at Zero would do well in getting In Fixation, Conspire.
Formed in Autumn 2000 from the ashes of Belfast based act Shakedown, and including ex Consume members, Stand-Up Guy wasted no time in establishing a fearsome reputation on the Northern Irish gig circuit. Their blistering live performances soon garnished some lavish press attention and in June 2001 they released their first demo Has Anything Youve Done Made Your Life Better? to nationwide critical acclaim. The CD was voted Demo of the month in the November 2001 issue of Terrorizer magazine. Irish tours with Medulla Nocte and Dawncore followed and in 2002 they released their follow-up ep Immobiliare. More gigging followed, including shows with Murder 1 and a very successful 4 date tour in Scotland. 2003 saw them solidify their position as one of the most hardworking live acts in the UK, capped by a very well received 9 date tour of Scandinavia in September of that year.
Review from Metal Ireland:
I shan't eulogise over the fact that I have consistently and enthusiastically recognised the superior quality of Stand up Guy's music since the moment I first clapped ears on them nearly four years ago. The praise awarded to their two utterly masterful demos tells its own story, and that's before even contemplating their live prowess. Still, I almost feel that it needs reiterated just how good this Belfast band actually is, almost partly to justify the inevitable slew of congratulations that I'm sure you rightly anticipate Im about to give them. This band have achieved nothing but wholly excellent appraisal on this website, one which prides itself on a certain level of critical bite: therefore it must almost look like favouritism. But put simply, some bands are just better than others. And in terms of Northern Ireland, Stand up Guy are just better than everyone. Of course in the grand scheme of things, that matters little: and that is why the brilliance of this, their debut album, is all the more apparent.
The band have changed quite markedly, or at least it seems that way now we can really hear what they're about with a full compliment of nine lengthy songs. Knowing their music almost inside out was almost a disadvantage in approaching this tome, with all one's preconceptions about the band and their agenda being more or less shattered after the first spin. Because the most striking thing about "In Fixation, Conspire" is its startling solemnity, and it's something we've never quite heard from them before. Truly, I had no idea they could be this morose. In fact, it is now the main descriptor of their music: no longer are they characterised by the hugeness of their combined instrumentation, nor by the elated melancholy of their demos. They are now entirely characterised by a despondency that is almost total.
The luxury of space that an album provides presents SuG with new challenges however, and the constant reliance on their trademark lilt does unfortunately begin to wear on a little as the album approaches its lengthy fifty minutes. Although it is their benchmark and an important constituent of their sound and personality, there is definitely a scope for breaking the mould every so often that I'm not sure they have taken the best advantage of. This shows particularly around "Pinstripe", whose vocals only rescue the song when it is nearly finished, and though dark and broody is still probably the album's weakest cut. While I'm yapping I may as well continue and say that I liked the production of the demos better, believing it to be somewhat thicker, but that is probably a very subjective thing and more down to my own taste. So disregard it.
In terms of the music itself, the reworked songs from both demos have actually changed quite considerably: both live staple "Workplace" and the powerful "Fra Diavolo" have been substantially slowed down, with the focus shifted towards the aforementioned moody vibe in a big, big way. Needless to say these songs remain excellent pieces of music and as heavy as a bag of spanners, but it is in new track "Burning paper in Bleeding Hand" that I feel the band have now totally found their niche. Quite easily the most driving, varied and powerful song on the album, the clean vocals simply excel in pure force of emotion. It showcases everything that is brilliant about them, from the languid and somnolent 3/4 time signatures to the melancholic chordwork and crazed screeching that so succinctly sum them up.
Stand up Guy have made an important and, if I may say, quite unexpected musical progression with this debut album. The utter desolation of tracks like "The Controlling Interest" show a band that has had a lot of time on its hands and alot of very bad things to think over while making music this unbelievably rueful. Listening to it through seems to communicate that these songs were genuinely borne of adversity, and the passion that comes across through the excellent arrangements and passionate vocals is totally heartfelt. We do indeed get the best of each aspect of their music within this weighty slab, and hopefully a hint at more varied structures in "Swandive", another definite highlight. I remember interviewing the band some years ago, and they offered that they considered music to be "The translation of emotion into sound". It is heartwarming then that they could be so utterly right about their own. Buy or die. 4.6 / 5.
If you've made it this far, I urge you to get this CD. It's one of my favorites of the year so far. For the rest of you, there's always In Flames.
I can't stand by and let Stand-Up Guy be ignored. Before many of you read further, know that they are a -core band.
OK, so now that the wimps are gone, anyone that likes Neurosis' Times of Grace and Souls at Zero would do well in getting In Fixation, Conspire.
Formed in Autumn 2000 from the ashes of Belfast based act Shakedown, and including ex Consume members, Stand-Up Guy wasted no time in establishing a fearsome reputation on the Northern Irish gig circuit. Their blistering live performances soon garnished some lavish press attention and in June 2001 they released their first demo Has Anything Youve Done Made Your Life Better? to nationwide critical acclaim. The CD was voted Demo of the month in the November 2001 issue of Terrorizer magazine. Irish tours with Medulla Nocte and Dawncore followed and in 2002 they released their follow-up ep Immobiliare. More gigging followed, including shows with Murder 1 and a very successful 4 date tour in Scotland. 2003 saw them solidify their position as one of the most hardworking live acts in the UK, capped by a very well received 9 date tour of Scandinavia in September of that year.
Review from Metal Ireland:
I shan't eulogise over the fact that I have consistently and enthusiastically recognised the superior quality of Stand up Guy's music since the moment I first clapped ears on them nearly four years ago. The praise awarded to their two utterly masterful demos tells its own story, and that's before even contemplating their live prowess. Still, I almost feel that it needs reiterated just how good this Belfast band actually is, almost partly to justify the inevitable slew of congratulations that I'm sure you rightly anticipate Im about to give them. This band have achieved nothing but wholly excellent appraisal on this website, one which prides itself on a certain level of critical bite: therefore it must almost look like favouritism. But put simply, some bands are just better than others. And in terms of Northern Ireland, Stand up Guy are just better than everyone. Of course in the grand scheme of things, that matters little: and that is why the brilliance of this, their debut album, is all the more apparent.
The band have changed quite markedly, or at least it seems that way now we can really hear what they're about with a full compliment of nine lengthy songs. Knowing their music almost inside out was almost a disadvantage in approaching this tome, with all one's preconceptions about the band and their agenda being more or less shattered after the first spin. Because the most striking thing about "In Fixation, Conspire" is its startling solemnity, and it's something we've never quite heard from them before. Truly, I had no idea they could be this morose. In fact, it is now the main descriptor of their music: no longer are they characterised by the hugeness of their combined instrumentation, nor by the elated melancholy of their demos. They are now entirely characterised by a despondency that is almost total.
The luxury of space that an album provides presents SuG with new challenges however, and the constant reliance on their trademark lilt does unfortunately begin to wear on a little as the album approaches its lengthy fifty minutes. Although it is their benchmark and an important constituent of their sound and personality, there is definitely a scope for breaking the mould every so often that I'm not sure they have taken the best advantage of. This shows particularly around "Pinstripe", whose vocals only rescue the song when it is nearly finished, and though dark and broody is still probably the album's weakest cut. While I'm yapping I may as well continue and say that I liked the production of the demos better, believing it to be somewhat thicker, but that is probably a very subjective thing and more down to my own taste. So disregard it.
In terms of the music itself, the reworked songs from both demos have actually changed quite considerably: both live staple "Workplace" and the powerful "Fra Diavolo" have been substantially slowed down, with the focus shifted towards the aforementioned moody vibe in a big, big way. Needless to say these songs remain excellent pieces of music and as heavy as a bag of spanners, but it is in new track "Burning paper in Bleeding Hand" that I feel the band have now totally found their niche. Quite easily the most driving, varied and powerful song on the album, the clean vocals simply excel in pure force of emotion. It showcases everything that is brilliant about them, from the languid and somnolent 3/4 time signatures to the melancholic chordwork and crazed screeching that so succinctly sum them up.
Stand up Guy have made an important and, if I may say, quite unexpected musical progression with this debut album. The utter desolation of tracks like "The Controlling Interest" show a band that has had a lot of time on its hands and alot of very bad things to think over while making music this unbelievably rueful. Listening to it through seems to communicate that these songs were genuinely borne of adversity, and the passion that comes across through the excellent arrangements and passionate vocals is totally heartfelt. We do indeed get the best of each aspect of their music within this weighty slab, and hopefully a hint at more varied structures in "Swandive", another definite highlight. I remember interviewing the band some years ago, and they offered that they considered music to be "The translation of emotion into sound". It is heartwarming then that they could be so utterly right about their own. Buy or die. 4.6 / 5.
If you've made it this far, I urge you to get this CD. It's one of my favorites of the year so far. For the rest of you, there's always In Flames.
