Burns Out Bright
Distance and Darkness
Deep Elm
Get out the Kleenex, people, because the fellas in Burns Out Bright put the “lame” back in “emotional.” You’ll find plenty of angular guitar weirdness, harmonious vocals and semi-aggressive drumming, but you’ll also find a bunch of guys who appear to be going through the motions, without actually committing any personal stock.
Their press sheet makes them sound like the second coming of Elvis, The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix all wrapped up in one, which is another reason I was so let down when listening to Distance and Darkness. These guys are basically playing late ‘90’s emo, a la Braid or early The Get Up Kids, but they’re trying to pass it off as something new and fresh. The vocalist is entirely pretentious, although he has the emo whine down perfectly. Just to let you know that he’s not a poseur, he gets tough and screams on some of the songs. These must be the parts when his emotions take over and he just can’t control himself (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).
On a positive note, these guys, although corny and contrived, do make decent little melodies which I’m sure “the kids” will dig. I wouldn’t be surprised if these guys were the next Taking Back Sunday or New Found Glory since they’ve got similar sheen going for them.
Deep Elm Records: http://www.deepelm.com/
