Klatzke
12/01/08, 05:58 AM
Lower Definition - The Greatest of All Lost Arts
Record Label: Ferret Records
Release Date: July 8, 2008
Ferret has changed things up recently. Most of Ferret's roster consists of fairly average hardcore bands, with a few exceptions. Now though, they've begun to recruit some more dynamic and, in my opinion, better, artists. They've recently changed from recruiting their hardcore sound-alikes (ex. Gwen Stacy, Chimaira, A Life Once Lost) to some bands that have differing styles (ex. Foxy Shazam, LoveHateHero). While most of these bands still fall somewhere into heavier genres, it's nice to see Ferret beginning to diversify their roster. With the addition of Lower Definition, Ferret has signed a band that creates diverse music that not only blurs genre lines, but remains accessible and greatly entertaining.
Lower Definition is a hard band to contain within a single genre. Their music is hard in places and you'll find scattered breakdowns, but even more often you'll find a great use of Matt Geise's astounding clean vocals. His vocals, by the way, sound like a downkey version of Ryan Hunter's of Envy on the Coast (if you disagree, check out "Miami Nights" and then Envy on the Coasts "Vultures"). No matter how you decide to classify them, Lower Definition writes some captivating music.
The first song of the album, "To Satellite", starts off with an acoustic riff that promptly escalates into an excellent electric riff. Once the vocals enter with a flourish it becomes obvious your not dealing with a dime-a-dozen hardcore band. "The Ocean The Beast" is the chosen single from the album and shows how they infuse screams into their powerful songwriting cleanly and efficiently. Geise's vocals provide a melodic backdrop to the harsh screams in this track perfectly, as with the others. "Versus Versace" is one of the harder tracks from the album and sports a couple of impressive breakdowns. "Pueblo Cicada" features Johnny Craig of Emarosa near the end of the track, and his duet with Geise is marvelous. The musicianship on this album is also exceptional. Anymore, it seems like bands concentrate only on their "image" and vocals, but this album is a welcome reprieve. Their riffs are exceptional, and their guitarist displays his skill often enough to keep it interesting, but not so often as to make it boring. Lower Definition has crafted an excellent full album; not a single track on this album detracts from its flow, and every one of them is noteworthy.
Don't let their choice of label fool you, Lower Definition isn't Ferret's brand of music. More for fans of Dance Gavin Dance and akissforjersey, they craft intelligent and powerful post-hardcore that's captivating and accessible. They don't weigh it down with excessive breakdowns and senseless screaming, introducing screamed lines in the perfect places to add to the music. Lower Definition is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the coming years; they've created an album full of great instrumentation and even better vocal talents. You better jump on the bandwagon while you can, because once they begin to get the recognition they deserve, you'll want to be able to say you knew them first.
Glassjaw; Dance Gavin Dance; Akissforjersey
myspace.com/lowerdefinition (http://www.myspace.com/lowerdefinition)
originally posted on highbeamreview.com on June 17, 2008
Record Label: Ferret Records
Release Date: July 8, 2008
Ferret has changed things up recently. Most of Ferret's roster consists of fairly average hardcore bands, with a few exceptions. Now though, they've begun to recruit some more dynamic and, in my opinion, better, artists. They've recently changed from recruiting their hardcore sound-alikes (ex. Gwen Stacy, Chimaira, A Life Once Lost) to some bands that have differing styles (ex. Foxy Shazam, LoveHateHero). While most of these bands still fall somewhere into heavier genres, it's nice to see Ferret beginning to diversify their roster. With the addition of Lower Definition, Ferret has signed a band that creates diverse music that not only blurs genre lines, but remains accessible and greatly entertaining.
Lower Definition is a hard band to contain within a single genre. Their music is hard in places and you'll find scattered breakdowns, but even more often you'll find a great use of Matt Geise's astounding clean vocals. His vocals, by the way, sound like a downkey version of Ryan Hunter's of Envy on the Coast (if you disagree, check out "Miami Nights" and then Envy on the Coasts "Vultures"). No matter how you decide to classify them, Lower Definition writes some captivating music.
The first song of the album, "To Satellite", starts off with an acoustic riff that promptly escalates into an excellent electric riff. Once the vocals enter with a flourish it becomes obvious your not dealing with a dime-a-dozen hardcore band. "The Ocean The Beast" is the chosen single from the album and shows how they infuse screams into their powerful songwriting cleanly and efficiently. Geise's vocals provide a melodic backdrop to the harsh screams in this track perfectly, as with the others. "Versus Versace" is one of the harder tracks from the album and sports a couple of impressive breakdowns. "Pueblo Cicada" features Johnny Craig of Emarosa near the end of the track, and his duet with Geise is marvelous. The musicianship on this album is also exceptional. Anymore, it seems like bands concentrate only on their "image" and vocals, but this album is a welcome reprieve. Their riffs are exceptional, and their guitarist displays his skill often enough to keep it interesting, but not so often as to make it boring. Lower Definition has crafted an excellent full album; not a single track on this album detracts from its flow, and every one of them is noteworthy.
Don't let their choice of label fool you, Lower Definition isn't Ferret's brand of music. More for fans of Dance Gavin Dance and akissforjersey, they craft intelligent and powerful post-hardcore that's captivating and accessible. They don't weigh it down with excessive breakdowns and senseless screaming, introducing screamed lines in the perfect places to add to the music. Lower Definition is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the coming years; they've created an album full of great instrumentation and even better vocal talents. You better jump on the bandwagon while you can, because once they begin to get the recognition they deserve, you'll want to be able to say you knew them first.
Glassjaw; Dance Gavin Dance; Akissforjersey
myspace.com/lowerdefinition (http://www.myspace.com/lowerdefinition)
originally posted on highbeamreview.com on June 17, 2008