Matthew Tsai
07/09/08, 07:24 PM
The Human Flight Committee - Oh, When the Animals Unionize
Record Label: Blue Duck Records
Release Date: March 11, 2008
For both eager fans and inquisitive newcomers, The Human Flight Committee has finally come out of the closet (with bits of and pieces of styles of various kinds of music in their hair) with their full-length debut, Oh, When the Animals Unionize. Controversy has been rampant about this band, which can only mean that there are some juicy songs waiting behind the disc. Regardless, there is a necessity for merely casual listeners to strap themselves to a pillar in a Roman temple (or something else relatively stable) before listening because this album puts listeners in position for quite a throttle - a throttle of many different genres. And while this throttle keeps the album alive and captivating, it also proves to be this debut's greatest downfall.
Oh, When the Animals Unionize embarks with "Oh, the Beginning," a track that flirts with not only post-rock listeners with its beautiful melody, but also animal activists with its curious blend of shrieks and roars from various jungle animals. The track doesn't hold too long however, as it vacuums listeners right into the urgent opening drum beats of the rocking first single, "She's a Car Destroyer." The song is a summary of what much of the album is like – a near carbon copy of the vocals of mewithoutYou or At the Drive-In, combined with quirky guitars and an excellent rhythm section. At surface level, The Human Flight Committee can best be described as a progressive post-hardcore band with dashes of math-rock induced segments. But this doesn't stop the band from experimenting with completely different genres within the same disc. Audiences will be surprised to also hear Emery-esque pop/rock melodies or near-danceable Hellogoodbye-ish tunes ("You'll Get it When You're Older," "Russian? We're Barely Moving!," "Wolves in Cheap Clothing") mixed into the fray of hard hitting post-hardcore tracks. It is the inclusion of so many diverse styles that leads critics to brand Oh, When the Animals Unionize "all over the place."
While the songs are by no means bad, it's just too much for the listener to absorb all the genre changes in one listen. Admittedly, some albums are boring because every track sounds too similar to each other, but the main weakness of this album lies in its excessive shifting of tone, trying to cover too much in too little time. It would be interesting, however, if the band took some cues from Thrice and split their ability to span diverse styles into separate concept albums.
Lyrically, the album starts out strong and metaphorically fun. Topics range from relationships to deeper, introspective reflections. Nevertheless, by the end of the album, the lyrics have decayed to Hawthorne Heights honoring lines like, "I will be your knife / If you'll be my suicide / I will be your compass / If you'll be my alibi / Congratulations / You got away with murder." The recession in lyrical quality is puzzling for a band that has just finished covering territories far more mature than most bands can today. Still, lyrics remain a strong point in this album and are enjoyable throughout.
Despite the obvious negatives, it can't be denied that Oh, When the Animals Unionize is a highly enjoyable summer release. It provides veteran audiences with a wave of classic At the Drive-In nostalgia and exposes newer listeners to some much needed maturity in the ever so prominent scenester movement. While it may confound and frustrate anyone who tries to sit down and listen through the entire album in one sitting, there are still individual songs on here that will blow minds and give many a new perspective on music.
mewithoutYou, At the Drive-In, quirky music
myspace.com/humanflightcommittee (http://www.myspace.com/humanflightcommittee)
Record Label: Blue Duck Records
Release Date: March 11, 2008
For both eager fans and inquisitive newcomers, The Human Flight Committee has finally come out of the closet (with bits of and pieces of styles of various kinds of music in their hair) with their full-length debut, Oh, When the Animals Unionize. Controversy has been rampant about this band, which can only mean that there are some juicy songs waiting behind the disc. Regardless, there is a necessity for merely casual listeners to strap themselves to a pillar in a Roman temple (or something else relatively stable) before listening because this album puts listeners in position for quite a throttle - a throttle of many different genres. And while this throttle keeps the album alive and captivating, it also proves to be this debut's greatest downfall.
Oh, When the Animals Unionize embarks with "Oh, the Beginning," a track that flirts with not only post-rock listeners with its beautiful melody, but also animal activists with its curious blend of shrieks and roars from various jungle animals. The track doesn't hold too long however, as it vacuums listeners right into the urgent opening drum beats of the rocking first single, "She's a Car Destroyer." The song is a summary of what much of the album is like – a near carbon copy of the vocals of mewithoutYou or At the Drive-In, combined with quirky guitars and an excellent rhythm section. At surface level, The Human Flight Committee can best be described as a progressive post-hardcore band with dashes of math-rock induced segments. But this doesn't stop the band from experimenting with completely different genres within the same disc. Audiences will be surprised to also hear Emery-esque pop/rock melodies or near-danceable Hellogoodbye-ish tunes ("You'll Get it When You're Older," "Russian? We're Barely Moving!," "Wolves in Cheap Clothing") mixed into the fray of hard hitting post-hardcore tracks. It is the inclusion of so many diverse styles that leads critics to brand Oh, When the Animals Unionize "all over the place."
While the songs are by no means bad, it's just too much for the listener to absorb all the genre changes in one listen. Admittedly, some albums are boring because every track sounds too similar to each other, but the main weakness of this album lies in its excessive shifting of tone, trying to cover too much in too little time. It would be interesting, however, if the band took some cues from Thrice and split their ability to span diverse styles into separate concept albums.
Lyrically, the album starts out strong and metaphorically fun. Topics range from relationships to deeper, introspective reflections. Nevertheless, by the end of the album, the lyrics have decayed to Hawthorne Heights honoring lines like, "I will be your knife / If you'll be my suicide / I will be your compass / If you'll be my alibi / Congratulations / You got away with murder." The recession in lyrical quality is puzzling for a band that has just finished covering territories far more mature than most bands can today. Still, lyrics remain a strong point in this album and are enjoyable throughout.
Despite the obvious negatives, it can't be denied that Oh, When the Animals Unionize is a highly enjoyable summer release. It provides veteran audiences with a wave of classic At the Drive-In nostalgia and exposes newer listeners to some much needed maturity in the ever so prominent scenester movement. While it may confound and frustrate anyone who tries to sit down and listen through the entire album in one sitting, there are still individual songs on here that will blow minds and give many a new perspective on music.
mewithoutYou, At the Drive-In, quirky music
myspace.com/humanflightcommittee (http://www.myspace.com/humanflightcommittee)