Emo-centric record label Count Your Lucky Stars recently released a 4-way split between the bands Annabel, Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate), Joie De Vivre, and The Repitlian. I guess you probably figured that much out by reading the title, though. However, what you may not have figured out (unless you're already a fan of these bands) is that this split is really, really good.
The split kicks off with Annabel, an awesome mid-90s emo styled indie rock group with quite a lot to offer. Their song for this 4-way split boasts excellent guitar leads and is probably one of the happiest sounding songs I’ve heard since reviewing Bomb the Music Industry earlier this year. Actually, this band reminds me a lot of that new BTMI record, but I guess it would have to be vice versa since I’m going to have to assume Annabel have been playing in this style for quite some time now. BTMI is trying to sound like Annabel. There we go.
The second song on this puppy is by this band called Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate). I’d be lying if I didn’t say that this band reminds me a shit load of the band I just reviewed in the previous paragraph; the only real discernible difference being the vocalist. That’s not to say I don’t fucking love this song; because I totally love this song. The vocals sound anxiety ridden and desperate, and that’s exactly the kind of thing I dig about this genre. I feel like I’m being emotionally thrusted into the song and I can’t lie and say I don’t like when that happens. I like when that happens.
Joie De Vivre manage to change the tone of the album to a more depressing sound...at first. Then the horn bits kick in and you forget all about that. It’s easy to see why these bands have all been label mates for the past 5 years. They boast a fairly similar style and they’re all pretty damn awesome at what they do.
A challenger has appeared.
The EP finally changes tone almost entirely when The Reptilian’s song comes on. The style isn’t really drastically different (desperate vocals, drum beat changing at odd times, clean guitar leads), but at the same time it’s completely different. The vocals are raspy as hell and remind me a lot of that dude who scream in A Billion Ernies, and I love it. The song just feels more interesting overall, even though it’s not a song you can really sing-a-long to (pop punk kid problems). The Reptilian came in at the end of this already rad EP and made it even radder. Awesome.
You should check out this EP if you’re a fan of bands like Rites of Spring, American Football, Fugazi and all that good stuff. Even if you’re not, this EP might make you a fan of the genre after all. So, here’s a link to the bandcamp page and here’s a link to the record label. Have fun with all that.
-Idle
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