Eyes Of Autumn
Hello
54°40’ or Fight!
I can’t tell you how happy it makes me when I hear a band like this. Eyes Of Autumn is a bunch of kids, aged 17 to 20, who play angular math/emocore, in the same vein as Meringue or Roadside Monument; to be frankly honest – and many of you won’t make the connection – these guys sound exactly like Aloha used to sound, before they became overly artsy fartsy (they were angular and mathy in their early days, pre-Polyvinyl!). So anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed Hello for many a reason.
This genre of math/emocore is simply wonderful; the guitars can shimmer and flirt with beauty, like Cap’n Jazz did on some of their softer stuff, and Eyes Of Autumn pays homage to shimmer, wandering guitars the entire way through on this one. At times, I was also reminded of June of 44 or early Promise Ring. The drums on Hello pound, plod, and scamper about, the drummer showing that he is highly talented and very good at changing times without sounding awkward.
I really like the vocalist of this band, too. His name is Michael, and he’s got a warm voice, kind of like a mature version of the lead singer from The Jazz June. His voice matches the band in almost indescribably perfect way, for he can scream when need be, and he actually knows how to sing and keep a tune!
Now, punk rock purists will scoff at this type of music, saying that it’s too complicated to follow; they will say that calculators should not be necessary for listening to music. Nonetheless, people who like the really intricate stuff will go nuts over Hello.
The kids in Eyes Of Autumn have a penchant for a time long gone, the wonderful early- to mid- 1990s, when bands like Hoover, Shale, and Rodan controlled the world of tasteful punk rock; those days may be gone, and the kids may be listening to complete shite, a la The White Stripes, but hey, as long as bands like Eyes Of Autumn keep up the good fight, the world will remain a pleasant place. One of the best 10 releases of 2002.
54°40’ or Fight! Records: http://www.fiftyfourfortyorfight.com
