Wolverine: Cold light of monday
Review by: Josh Thorne
Reviewing cd's, contrary to what you may believe, is not an easy job at all. Sometimes, you're overloaded with really bad cd's and have the duty of reviewing them and saying how badly they suck, thus leading to the criticism of others that you're a little "too hard" on bands. However, other times you're overloaded with really good cd's and have the duty of giving these good bands a decent review because they deserve it. This leads to some people saying you're too complimentary of bands. It's a hard job to do this, but eventually, you learn to tune everyone else out and write what you feel. This technique will, no doubt, be put to very good use after a few reads of this review.
I received this particular cd in the mail, along with that atrocious Lunaris disc. However, when I got Lunaris out of my cd player and discarded it, I put this in. Wolverine managed to do something to me that only a few bands were ever able to do. "Cold Light of Monday" is not just a good record, it's a moving experience. Listen to it and find out what I mean. I get cd's to review all the time, and to be honest, it's a struggle to pull myself away from this disc long enough to give the others the attention they deserve...if that's not a sign of a modern classic, I don't know what is.
The biggest reason this record works so well, is due to the band's understanding of atmosphere in music. This album sounds and feels like a big city at 3 a.m. in the morning. It's not brutally heavy or devastating like the majority of what I listen to, but it's crushingly beautiful in it's own splendid way. Somber organ music accompanied by clean vocals and massive guitar work really make this album come alive, note by note. Each and every time I hear it, I find something newer and better that I didn't hear before!
The closest comparison I could make to Wolverine's sound would probably be along the lines of Portishead, but better. "Cold Light of Monday" also happens to be a concept album about an abuse victim named Sarah. So, as you listen, you're drawn deeper and deeper into this girl's sad life. What she feels, you feel, and what she experiences, you experience. As I said, there's so much more to this album than meets the eye. So yeah, I guess you could say this is one of those "endless praise" reviews, but hey, I could care less. The bottom line is that anyone with ears should listen to this band, because they're very deserving of it. So, that ends this review. Go now, and buy this. Right now. Don't hesitate...go.
Final Score: 10 /10
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