Quite often, I find albums by emo bands to be trite, shallow and melodramatic. On their latest album, Park has managed managed to dodge that bullet. They've created an album that's solidly emo, without many of the stereotypes that go along with that.
A Deliberate, Complex Sound
In this current era of music, it's nice to hear a band like this that can create a solid sound without feeling like they have to resort to screaming. It's also nice to hear an emo band that can play their instruments really well. Park enjoys both of these traits.
On Building a Better _____, this band from Springfield, Illinois has created a sound that's complex and a bit dark. Their music is heavily layered, with a wall-of-sound quality at times, but they never forget to drop a hook in here and there. It's clear that they can play, and it's clear that they are tight as a band.
As you listen to tracks like "Mississippi Burning", "A Message" and "La Amoureux", it's plainly apparent that Park, while comfortably placed with the current crop of bands, has also managed to create a sound is also influenced by '90s shoegazer bands.
Most of the songs never break out into full-blown rock, but the power is usually there, just below the surface, tightly reigned in. I would have enjoyed the album more if that power had been allowed to break free more often.
The sound is consistent throughout the album, but when it breaks stride, it makes the album that much more interesting. This is best noticed on the soft, acoustic beginning of "Angles and Errors" that breaks into a rock hook when the song is almost over, and tucks the sound back in for a soft finish.
Eloquent Lyrics
The lyrics on the album are as a whole eloquent and poetic, with just a hint of the melodrama found on a lot of emo records. Vocalist/songwriter Ladd Mitchell clearly has a talent for songwriting, and yanking single quote from a song to the confines of a written review demeans how his songs come together as a whole.
That being said, I'll call out a quote anyay. His skilled songwriting makes it an apparently deliberate, yet still wonderful choice that the last song on the album, "Hide and Seek", closes with the line "I don't have the slightest bit of remorse for this sound." He shouldn't; it's a pretty good one.
Building a Better _____ is pure emo, and some punk fans might not get it. But if you are a fan of bands like Dashboard Confessional or the Get Up Kids, check these guys out; they are at the top of their game. Then again, if you're not a fan of emo, these guys might be worth checking out as well. Their mastery of the sound is impressive enough that you don't need a broken heart to enjoy it.
