Touche Amore – Parting The Sea Between Brightness And Me
After the release of their debut full length ‘To The Beat Of A Dead Horse’ Calfiornia’s Touche Amore were the most likely band to fill the void after the break-up of Modern Life Is War. ‘To The Beat Of A Dead Horse’ is one of those records you just know will become a classic in years to come. But was Touche Amore capable of another great record or not?
‘If actions speak louder than words, I’m the most deafening noise you’ve heard, i’ll be that ringing in your ears, that will stick around for years’ are the words frontman Jeremy Bolm screams on record opener ‘~’. This first song sets the tone for the rest of the record; it’s short, there are no choruses or other repeating bits and the drums just beat on and on.
Bolm opens his heart on this record. His frustration and perhaps bleak view on his personal life and his interaction with the people surrounding him seem to be the underlying theme of the record. It’s brave of any man performing within this masculine scene to open up and explore his inner-thoughts, but there’s also the danger of giving too much.
When after a piano interlude Bolm starts screaming about his funeral and that the most important thing is the music that will be played, there’s a sense of recognition as well as the thought that sure things can’t be that bad for a singer who’s band is up and coming, who tours the world. And if things really are that bad maybe Bolm shouldn’t write songs about it and repeat these feelings over and over on stage. Shouldn’t it be better in the end if this troubled man stopped following Morrissey’s and Ian Curtis’ footsteps but instead picked up an Insted or Youth Of Today record?
However this doesn’t mean ‘Parting The Sea’ is a bad record. Those who were already singing along to ‘To The Beat Of A Dead Horse’ will find enough of their liking on this record as well. But where ‘To The Beat’ was a record that might also appeal to the generic hardcore kid, ‘Parting The Sea’ isn’t a record that will win over a lot of new hearts and minds. Well, all the broken-hearted and desperate minds aside, of course.
‘Parting The Sea Between Brightness And Me’ is a short, emotional and depressing rollercoaster into the personal life of a young Los Angeles native. Like on any good rollercoaster if you get out you want to go back for another ride. But there’s also the dissapointment of the duration of the ride. Couldn’t the ride be just a bit longer and wilder?
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