the most frustrating part of this entire ordeal is that all of the reviews are either making this album sound like the biggest pile of shit on the planet or their sucking it's monster-sized whale penis...

where's the honesty? who really listened to the album? who's buddy-buddy with the band and who has some un-needed grudge against them?

i think these are the factors that are important when we're reading these reviews. the plain truth about this album is that even though there are some good points all in all it's very dissapointing. For anyone who knows anything about this band they would be just as disgusted as the rest of us by just the overall terrible sound of this record. Not that the songwriting is entirely bad...but the record sonically just sounds like shit. On their EP they had the songs 'The Ordinary Life' and 'Let's Call It A Night' (which is now re-titled 'Baby, You're My Bad Habit)...they re-did these songs and it's truly a shame that these new versions are the ways that these songs will be remembered. They just sound washed out and dull. Whoever mixed and mastered this thing must've been really forced to finish it quickly as it's clear that it is very poorly done. Anyone with an ear can agree with that. The instruments lack everything needed in a screamo/metal record...or whatever you want to call this thing.

and as far as the underoath comparisons...if you really want to say that they're not blatantly ripping off that band then take a second, put on this record to the 2nd track, and try to tell me that the breakdown at the end isn't an almost exact replica of the intro to UO's 'in reguards to myself'...the heavy off beat low-note riff into a high dissinant chord thing is almost identical. not saying that UO is the first band in history to write something like this...or even that FLL is the first band to mirror the style of another band...but this shit is just crossing the line between influence and out-right fucking musical plagiarism (if there is a thing...).

"let's just take the same riff, move it up a half-step, change a beat or two, and call it our own."



I say listen to the damn thing and make your own opinion...but for anyone to sit and say that this album is refreshing or anything is just bullshit. I've been a supporter of this band for a very long time...i loved the ep...but i hate this record.

Originally Posted by rockcore

yes, the reviews have often been polar opposites, which makes it confusing for people who have never heard the band before. why is it so hard to read a bad review, read a good review, keep both sides in mind, listen to the band's purevolume page, and then make your own decision?

i'll admit that i've hungout with this band a couple times. they're nice guys with no pretentions, and i like them for that. i may be a bit bias. fine, everyone has their own bias anyway.

a lot of their long-time fans have had the same complaints that you do. i'm not a long time fan, but i have heard the e.p. several times. the difference is just the difference you'd expect between an independently released, DIY ep and an indie record company released, first lp. the exact same thing happened with thursday. the album was produced by michael bimbaum, who also has done coheed & cambria, and straylight run. i'm not a fan of those bands, but thier production is quite good. sure parts of this album are flat, too slick, and slightly uninspired, but let's just take a minute to appreciate that this is a very admirable attempt at a first lp with many great moments as well. four letter lie deserves a fair listen and an open mind just for thier hard work and sheer potential.

first, the underoath they keep on being compared to is on 'they're only chasing safety', which 'in regards to myself' isn't on. but anyway, i decided to go and do just what you sugested. i get what you're saying, but i still only hear similarities. almost all blues is 12 bar. does that mean that everyone playing blues after 1940 is blatantly ripping off robert johnson and sonny boy williamson? no, it is a specific progession of sounds directly related to the definition of the genre. though screamo probably doesn't have the same staying power of blues, i think this is a similar case.

wow, that was a lot longer than i thought it would be. sorry guys.

you raise some good points here...i'm glad people are actually taking the time to read these posts :)...

and no i'm not saying that everyone playing blues after the 40's is ripping off anyone...blues in itself is a genre...underoath is not a genre...they have a defined style, but they're not a genre. you can listen to an underoath record and know it's underoath...that is something that i believe all bands are striving to do. a lot of blues/jazz artists have the same quality...i mean you listen to Buddy Guy or BB King play their music you know it's them...they've taken different spins on the genre and have made it their own...there's a large difference between taking a genre and spinning it into your signature style and taking a signature style and attempting to make it your own.

i think we all as musicians (the musicians out there) have gone through this though...i'm guilty of it myself. as in being way into a record/band/sound and having it heavily influence your own creativeness...almost to the fact where it's ripping off that band's creativeness. this is when the cord needs to be pulled...you should be able to recognize that and change it however it needs to be changed...i feel that this is what happened with this record. i'm sure these guys had the new UO album on regular spin just as much as all of us did...and writing music that is greatly similar to it almost makes you feel like you're in that band...(if that makes any sense)...so you roll with it because it feels like you're doing something great...but you're not. again...just a thought.