Hawthorne Heights
The Silence In Black And White (Acoustic)
In Vogue Records
Some times its good to look back and events ending in a zero are as good as any other milestone. Hawthorne Heights has been cranking out solid American rock and roll since 2001 in one form or another, and here they’ve revisited their 2004 debut studio release The Silence in Black and White. I admit I have not heard the original, but this effort emphasizes the acoustic elements in the collection.
It’s a dark and introspective set, the titles include “Life on Standby,” “Dissolve and Decay,” and “Screenwriting an Apology.” These songs bring you down and down in gradual steps until you’re convinced even your stuff animals are ready to abandon you. ‘There’s nothing left for me” moans Mr. Woodruff, “There’s nothing left to say” and at that point he’s said it all. While this is technically an acoustic album (no electric guitars or fuzz boxes) it doesn’t take soft rock track I associate with acoustic sets, the notes and arraignments are sharp and edgy, the harmonies may cheat a bit but this is no dreamy John Denver snooze fest. These guys are angry, alone and itching to kick out another gold album. I think this collection might just have the back-bone to do just that. And it’s not like they got a hot date tonight. ‎
http://www.hawthorneheights.com/; http://www.invoguerecords.com/
