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20 November 2003
Various Artists, Emo is Awesome/Emo is Evil (Deep Elm)
The title Emo is Awesome/Emo is Evil couldn't be more perfect for such a confounding musical subgenre. For every good emo band like Jimmy Eat World and the Appleseed Cast, you get annoying acts like Dashboard Confessional or Rainer Maria that come in and ruin things. The fact is, unless you're a devoted emo fan, you are probably able to withstand only a few of these overwrought, maudlin songs at a time. With this album, Deep Elm Records, host of a huge stable of such bands, has put a "greatest hits" compilation of their own, and frankly, 72 minutes of emo is asking a lot from the listener. There is some really good stuff here, such as the aforementioned Appleseed Cast, who, despite recording for Tiger Style Records these days, chip in with a couple songs from their earlier days, including the oh-so-emo title "Forever Longing the Golden Sunsets". Other notable bands like the roaring Desert City Soundtrack ("What to Do in Case of Fire"), Slowride ("Computer"), and Sweden's Last Days of April ("Aspirins and Alcohol") contribute quality material, but as the CD goes on, the formula each band follows, be it Fugazi-style punk or more mellow fare, starts to wear thin. If you love emo, you'll love this album. If you merely tolerate emo, approach with caution.
— Adrien Begrand
.: posted by Editor 3:27 PM
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