Sounds For Entrances EP,
My Awesome CompilationWhat is 'emo'? Is it emotional music? Is it soft and quiet and tender with strong lyrics? Is it brutal and forceful with a vocalist that wants to rip of your head and spit down your neck? Well, My Awesome Compilation fit into each one of the above categories and in the space of three short songs they mark their territory and make you stand up and take notice of them. This is a young UK band that are taking on their US equivalents and are not only competeting, but winning.
The 'Sounds For Entrances' EP gives more than a fleeting nod to some of their contemporary influences in the likes of The Get Up Kids and Jimmy Eat World, but maintains a sense of melody, originality and fragility that only the best bands can maintain. And to think that this Leicester trio are just onto their second release is outstanding. There is only way My Awesome Compilation are going - and that is up.
It could be argued that they aren't doing anything particularly groundbreaking and that is maybe true, but what the band do they do amazingly well. There are singalong choruses, intelligent musicianship and more emotion than you could shake a stick at. The vocals are fantastic, the lyrics intelligent and there's more energy than at the Sellafield power plant. And if you want variation, well just check out the switch of moods that MAC could rapidly become famous for. It's brilliant stuff.
Opener, and the title track, 'Sounds For Entrances' emphasises how good the band's dynamics are. Moving on from the sweet and tender opening to the distorted and fuzzed up parts later in the song, the track really hits all the right notes - doing everything that a good emo track should. Chris Driver's vocals are spot on, surprisingly good for such a young, (and no offence guys) small band. Lyrically it has all the hallmarks of a top quality emo band too (ie they make very little sense on first glance, but are sure to have some deep down metaphorical meaning I'm sure...) with the "good fortune never lasts forever" line sticking out for me. The breakdown to the guitar explosion also works well, although I think it probably sounds better in a live environment.
'Giving Up' is much simpler and more melodic, coming across like 'Static Prevails'-era Jimmy Eat World. This is officially no bad thing and the song is also damn good. The backing vocals add an extra layer to the track and it's well thought out, not rushed or recorded without thought. Definitely a song with wider appeal, on the basis of this song the lads can go far. The EP ends with the reflectively titled 'Hopefully', a track which is as good as the previous two, featuring more guitar effects and uses riffage to full effect. And Chris' vocals are even better this time round, again taking in tips from the likes of Jimmy Eat World.
It's obvious that My Awesome Compilation have all the ingriedients needed to be one of the best emo bands in the UK. Their sound pulls in many influences from the more well-known bands in the genre, but to be fair this is as good as some of the stuff coming out of America already. Of course this is far from being the finished article, the recording isn't perfect and there are certain parts of songs which let the overall quality down. But on the whole 'Sounds For Entrances' shows that the band have what it takes to be heard on a far bigger stage. Well worth checking out, because if there's any justice this lot will be playing bigger venues more often very soon indeed...
Paul
