Emarosa - Relativity

[DaveZeroZero]

Emarosa - Relativity
Record Label: Rise Records
Release Date: July 8, 2008

Following the acrimonious split between Dance Gavin Dance and Johnny Craig, the highly talented (and equally misguided) vocalist was quickly snatched up by Emarosa, which was seen as a coup for Emarosa by many who knew of Craig's talents. Thanks to this, this was highly anticipated by those who knew about it.

The album begins with the track "The Past Should Stay Dead," a song which introduces and even boasts of their new vocalist's talents before a note has even played. Craig is triumphant on this track, as he is on the rest of the album and the musicianship and overall feel of this song mirror this for the rest of the song.

The succeeding track, "Just Another Marionette," is also another great showcase of Johnny Craig's voice, though the album begins a downward turn at the chorus and whilst the song itself recovers, the album as a whole never quite fulfills the promise showed by the opening track.

That said, the rest of the album isn't bad. As a matter of fact, had it not been for "The Past Should Stay Dead," the album would have stood up very well, with "What's a Clock Without Batteries?" and "Set it off Like Napalm" both being exceedingly good tracks, the latter being second only to the opening track in the race for the best song on the album.

Emarosa's previous penchant for screaming has all but disappeared on this album, with the focus (understandably) really being upon Johnny's clean vocals, which do not disappoint. On the other hand, I feel that perhaps the music suffered in part because of the fact that they felt the need to showcase Johnny's considerable talents. Nonetheless, I have a hunch that he could work with pretty much anything they can throw at him and I look forward to their future efforts.

Dance Gavin Dance, Pierce the Veil
myspace.com/emarosa (http://www.myspace.com/emarosa)

[cereal4life]

I don't understand why the album is rated so low considering that you liked it quite a lot? Forgot to fill in the score after "lyrics"or something?

[DannySniper]

I love this album.

Jonny Craig = God.

[sargentlgfuad]

I love this album.

Jonny Craig = God.

Jonny Craig = FuckedUp, but a good singer.

[TooLateF0rRoses]

this album is actually very good, fix the album ratings... i would give it an 84ish

[DaveZeroZero]

Oh yeah, I must not've finished the ratings when re-doing the review. CFal's kindly fixing them for me =]

[Chris Fallon]

The ratings are now how they should look - not that it matters: read the review, people!

[rickysolstice]

i like this album.

there are parts where i hear some real potential from this band for future releases, but its almost like they didn't quite get there this time. but then other parts really manage to grab my attention, so the good outweighs the sloppy, i say. and craig's vocals help.

a few months ago, i never would have thought i'd buy an emarosa cd. as someone who was not previously a fan of this band, i've gotta say they've won me over with this release. so thumbs up for them.

[DaveZeroZero]

The ratings are now how they should look - not that it matters: read the review, people!

Thanks Chris :-)

[IXI CHEWIE IXI]

i just bought the cd today but havent listened to it completely.
i was curious as to why the lead singer sounded so much like dance gavin dance though.
but i guess that has been answered

[DaveZeroZero]

It has indeed.

[IXI CHEWIE IXI]

so who sings for DGD then

[DaveZeroZero]

I think that it's the guy from Gatsby's American Dream at the moment.

[IXI CHEWIE IXI]

really?
thats a little wierd

[Sharkboyyy!]

I think that it's the guy from Gatsby's American Dream at the moment.

Their new singer is Kurt Travis from Five Minute Ride. (and a slew of other bands)

On the note of this album... I think it still deserves a much higher score. The songwriting, musicianship and of course the vocals all FAR surpass their debut EP. This is without a doubt one of my favorite releases of the year.

[Packersfan]

I also liked this album alot. But its not something that I listen to right away... I think most of these tracks you have to be in a certain mood to listen to. Not like their last album.
I think it deserves around 85-90.

[DaveZeroZero]

Their new singer is Kurt Travis from Five Minute Ride. (and a slew of other bands)

On the note of this album... I think it still deserves a much higher score. The songwriting, musicianship and of course the vocals all FAR surpass their debut EP. This is without a doubt one of my favorite releases of the year.

I think that it sounds like a watered-down, less technical DGD. They also should have kept a bit more of the screaming style, as much as they would've wanted to show Johnny off to the world.

[demonryu]

I agree that they can do better down the road, but as far as this genre goes this band was still one of the better ones floating around in recent months.

[knowthisx]

This is a great cd.
I can't wait to hear where they go from here though.

[Trendflows]

I think that it's the guy from Gatsby's American Dream at the moment.
haha.
actually nic newsham (i believe i got his name correct, the vocalist from gatsby) is featured on one of DGD's new tracks, you can find it on purevolume only right now if your interested.

I felt it could have been better, set it off like a napalm and pretend release are solid tracks.
Heads or tails real or not is pretty good as well, from there i only liked a few more tracks and some of the others just blended into the cd.

Downtown Battle Mountain is still one of my favorite cd's.
However i disagree that they sound like a watered down less technical DGD. Most of the riffs are more technical then old DGD, i do agree that Dgd is more catchy however.

Good review and solid CD none the less.
Thank you for your review man, i enjoyed it.

-Stamos of trendflows

[DaveZeroZero]

haha.
actually nic newsham (i believe i got his name correct, the vocalist from gatsby) is featured on one of DGD's new tracks, you can find it on purevolume only right now if your interested.

I felt it could have been better, set it off like a napalm and pretend release are solid tracks.
Heads or tails real or not is pretty good as well, from there i only liked a few more tracks and some of the others just blended into the cd.

Downtown Battle Mountain is still one of my favorite cd's.
However i disagree that they sound like a watered down less technical DGD. Most of the riffs are more technical then old DGD, i do agree that Dgd is more catchy however.

Good review and solid CD none the less.
Thank you for your review man, i enjoyed it.

-Stamos of trendflows

Good to hear you enjoyed it =]

But "Set It Off Like Napalm" is most definitely a solid track.

[porttheman]

when i first heard "set if off like napalm" i got pretty excited for this band as well as the album..i heard a few new ones and i liked em,but then i listened to the entire cd and it has its moments to be a really solid cd,but there was just somethin about it that just didnt quite make it to bein a REALLY good cd...i like johnny's voice alot and id like to see em live

[Sic Transit Zeb]

no offense but this review was kinda bad.

You didn't really go in depth in any of the songs and only focused on only the vocals.

I'm ok with a 78 for the score but idk bout the review

[DaveZeroZero]

Well, it wasn't meant to be that in-depth, just to give readers a general idea of the album and what it could have and did achieve.

[Sic Transit Zeb]

I think that it sounds like a watered-down, less technical DGD. They also should have kept a bit more of the screaming style, as much as they would've wanted to show Johnny off to the world.

They could of easily of gotten a screamer if they wanted to. I'm sure the band isn't around just to show off the vocalist. They wanted to move in a different musical direction it appears.

[DaveZeroZero]

They could of easily of gotten a screamer if they wanted to. I'm sure the band isn't around just to show off the vocalist. They wanted to move in a different musical direction it appears.

Well, as a listener, I felt that it left them wanting and felt that much of the album (save those noticeably better tracks) lacking a bit of depth, though that was also down to the layering of the guitars (or perhaps lack thereof). I'm not sure what really disappointed me, but there was something.

Also, it's could have, not could of.

[sargentlgfuad]

am i the only one who was a little disappointed.
i woudlve had it in the lower 60's.
just the songs all sounded alike and couldnt stand apart from the others.
the musicianship, i believe, killed the album for me.
if they could've blended the music from their EP with Johnny's vocals, then it wouldve been great.
but maybe i have to try and listen to it some more...?

[Sic Transit Zeb]

Well, as a listener, I felt that it left them wanting and felt that much of the album (save those noticeably better tracks) lacking a bit of depth, though that was also down to the layering of the guitars (or perhaps lack thereof). I'm not sure what really disappointed me, but there was something.

Also, it's could have, not could of.


Also, you could OF have written a good review but you didn't. You focused on only a few things and really just skimmed the top.

I do agree with you score on the album though, so that's good.

I could OF also have used could have, but since I'm not writing an academic paper I like to use conversational tone.

[DaveZeroZero]

am i the only one who was a little disappointed.
i woudlve had it in the lower 60's.
just the songs all sounded alike and couldnt stand apart from the others.
the musicianship, i believe, killed the album for me.
if they could've blended the music from their EP with Johnny's vocals, then it wouldve been great.
but maybe i have to try and listen to it some more...?

I'm wholly agreed on this, though I'd still stick with my overall rating thanks to a couple of songs bringing up the average to where it is.

Also, you could OF have written a good review but you didn't. You focused on only a few things and really just skimmed the top.

I do agree with you score on the album though, so that's good.

I could OF also have used could have, but since I'm not writing an academic paper I like to use conversational tone.

You can use a conversational tone without coming across like a stubborn idiot. However, you neglected to notice that.

[Sic Transit Zeb]

I'm wholly agreed on this, though I'd still stick with my overall rating thanks to a couple of songs bringing up the average to where it is.



You can use a conversational tone without coming across like a stubborn idiot. However, you neglected to notice that.

You know, I'm gonna be honest that I wasn't in the best mood yesterday at all.

That said, I should of probably gone a different route with my criticism.

My only advice is to go more in depth with the song(s) that you like. Maybe throw out some quotes/riffs/feel of song/etc. just something.

[Sic Transit Zeb]

am i the only one who was a little disappointed.
i woudlve had it in the lower 60's.
just the songs all sounded alike and couldnt stand apart from the others.
the musicianship, i believe, killed the album for me.
if they could've blended the music from their EP with Johnny's vocals, then it wouldve been great.
but maybe i have to try and listen to it some more...?

No, I can see what you're saying. The songs def do blend together and at times the music doesn't 'fit'. I'd give it another shot though cuz, imo, it's a solid release.

[DaveZeroZero]

You know, I'm gonna be honest that I wasn't in the best mood yesterday at all.

That said, I should of probably gone a different route with my criticism.

My only advice is to go more in depth with the song(s) that you like. Maybe throw out some quotes/riffs/feel of song/etc. just something.

Haha, I was the same on friday evening, so I'll let you off =]

But yeah, that was my first review, so of course there are things to improve and I'll bear those points in mind for my next one :-)

[Sic Transit Zeb]

Haha, I was the same on friday evening, so I'll let you off =]

But yeah, that was my first review, so of course there are things to improve and I'll bear those points in mind for my next one :-)

Haha glad to see my frustration was shared!!

I'll be awaiting the next review!

[Matthew Tsai]

don't like this record

i liked their old one better

[Adrian Villagomez]

Could someone tell me what that thing on the cover is?

[lindyheart]

Great review. It basically sums up my views/opinions on the album as well. I think that Johnny was better suited in DGD though, and DGD will always be superior in musicianship.

[Deth]

Could someone tell me what that thing on the cover is?

Sea Urchin? lol.

[TellYourFriends]

Could someone tell me what that thing on the cover is?It's a water chestnut. :-)

With all the negativity on AP I was waiting for the album to be torn to shreds. I'm glad there are a bunch of people that really like it. Glad someone finally reviewed it.

[p, FRY]

i really don't get why this isn't getting crazy amounts of praise.

freaking wonderful disc.

[boscorelli]

Im digging it, when I heard this dude left DGD I looked forward to whatever he did next, glad he doesn't have to share the stage with a second rate screamer anymore.

[pand75]

Great review. I completely agree with the first song completely drenched with potential and the album not living up to it.

[LikeEatingGlass]

Great review, firstly. I agree with how the CD appears to be overly intent on showcasing Jonny Craig's vocal talent (a bit like Anthony Green and Circa Survive) over the music and musicianship. But he does have a dynamic voice. It's got an, almost, R 'n' B quality to it.

Personally, I just discovered the whole Dance Gavin Dance / Emarosa sound a few weeks ago.

I really like 'Downtown Battle Mountain' - tk3, 'It's Safe to say You dig the Backseat'; man, Jonny sounds amazing, especially in the initial part of the song.

Anyway, fast forward past all the drama involving him and DGD and we get to 'Relativity'. Very cool album. I hope he's found his place as a vocalist.

[DaveZeroZero]

In hindsight and looking at my ratings on more recent reviews, I should've given this album a score in the low to mid 80s.

[tyler426]

this was a good review, i really think these guys haven't gotten enough credit than what they do.

[RSCogar]

Honestly, I like how Craig fits in Emarosa, but apart from 2 or 3 tracks, it all sounds the same...and it has nothing to do with the vocals. The music seems to blend together...and not in the good way.

I'd be interested to hear Craig singing some of emarosa's oldies - Casablanca and Utah, for example.

[DaveZeroZero]

Honestly, I like how Craig fits in Emarosa, but apart from 2 or 3 tracks, it all sounds the same...and it has nothing to do with the vocals. The music seems to blend together...and not in the good way.

I'd be interested to hear Craig singing some of emarosa's oldies - Casablanca and Utah, for example.
I don't think they even play any of the old songs live anymore :shrug:

[circatbs]

Very good review. This album was one of my tops of '08.

[FutureReference]

Good review, but I just don't enjoy this. It's not Jonny's actions before this point, it's not the fact of anger that Emarosa changed..I just don't really feel the emotion in it..Yet, that's my opinion. I can't take away from those who do enjoy it..I just don't really enjoy the fact that the music seems to blend together and it seems to be,restricted, because of Jonny's vocals.

[TellYourFriends]

I don't think they even play any of the old songs live anymore :shrug:
They do an Epoch Coda outro to Set It Off Like Napalm and Casablanca as an encore here and there. They play Utah at home shows sometimes too.

I've got a few different version of them on my YouTube.

[Ryzenfall]

It has indeed.

I only just now discovered that emarosa's vocalist is Johnny so I started looking into Emarosa again. This album sounds very well done.

Set It Off Like Napalm has this line "make this now or never" that is basically sung exactly the way Acceptance sings those exact words on "Over You." Was that a conscious tribute or something else?

[TellYourFriends]

I only just now discovered that emarosa's vocalist is Johnny so I started looking into Emarosa again. This album sounds very well done.

Set It Off Like Napalm has this line "make this now or never" that is basically sung exactly the way Acceptance sings those exact words on "Over You." Was that a conscious tribute or something else?
It was a little bit of both. They knew it was from something, but couldn't think of it until after they recorded the demo.

Jonny's a big Acceptance fan, so it ended up working out.

[DaveZeroZero]

I only just now discovered that emarosa's vocalist is Johnny so I started looking into Emarosa again. This album sounds very well done.

Set It Off Like Napalm has this line "make this now or never" that is basically sung exactly the way Acceptance sings those exact words on "Over You." Was that a conscious tribute or something else?
It was a little bit of both. They knew it was from something, but couldn't think of it until after they recorded the demo.

Jonny's a big Acceptance fan, so it ended up working out.
I didn't know anything about that - I guess you learn something new every day.

[Ryzenfall]

I didn't know anything about that - I guess you learn something new every day.

This is true. If by the end of tomorrow you don't learn any cool new things, look at this:

http://www.walnet.org/llf/ROSENHAN-BEINGSANE.PDF

[whataclush]

the vocal ratings are a complete joke. anyone giving him less than 11 deserves to be pushed off the plank.

[chelseaxsmilexD]

dance gavin dance used to be my favorite band, their second album sucked, and their third album's okay, so I'm still wutever about them, but I should still check this out.

[chelseaxsmilexD]

They do an Epoch Coda outro to Set It Off Like Napalm and Casablanca as an encore here and there. They play Utah at home shows sometimes too.

I've got a few different version of them on my YouTube.
hmm i wonder why? (speaking to your avatar)

[chelseaxsmilexD]

the vocal ratings are a complete joke. anyone giving him less than 11 deserves to be pushed off the plank.
i know right... he is jeebus

[whataclush]

i know right... he is jeebus
jeebus wishes he was jonny craig.

[chelseaxsmilexD]

jeebus wishes he was jonny craig.
so does UnderOath

[whataclush]

so does UnderOath
yup

[chelseaxsmilexD]

yup
so does johnny craig... he wishes he was johnny craig

[whataclush]

nah, i think johnny craig wishes he was jonny craig.

[DaveZeroZero]

*wishes he were

[Meeze]

the lyrics are WAYYYY better then 7.25

[Dystroxia]

Great review, firstly. I agree with how the CD appears to be overly intent on showcasing Jonny Craig's vocal talent (a bit like Anthony Green and Circa Survive) over the music and musicianship. But he does have a dynamic voice. It's got an, almost, R 'n' B quality to it.

Personally, I just discovered the whole Dance Gavin Dance / Emarosa sound a few weeks ago.

I really like 'Downtown Battle Mountain' - tk3, 'It's Safe to say You dig the Backseat'; man, Jonny sounds amazing, especially in the initial part of the song.

Anyway, fast forward past all the drama involving him and DGD and we get to 'Relativity'. Very cool album. I hope he's found his place as a vocalist.
Yes, that song in DBM is by far the best song on that album.

[AirTraffic]

I think the musicianship on this album is overlooked. No, there isn't any "shredding," but if you listen to those lead guitar parts...not only are they good, but tasteful, and they really add to the song. The drumming is outstanding. I can't stand it when people act like Jonny is the only good thing about this album. It's great. It blows old Emarosa out of the water. The only thing I don't like about this album is probably the lyrics.

[TellYourFriends]

New Emarosa is pretty solid. I think it will surprise a lot of people.