The bands that try and do something a little different will be the ones that outlive the post-hardcore genre, which, let’s face it, is dying on its arse. The days of the verse/chorus/verse, singing/shouty/singing style are over and those who simply replicate the Taking Back Sundays of this world are continuing to dilute a brand of music that was once vibrate and interesting. Boys Night Out originally shot to relative fame at a time when the genre of music they played wasn’t quite as dull and predictable. When I first heard 2003’s ‘Make Yourself Sick’ I really, really enjoyed it – it was one of my favourite CDs from that year. But I look back two years on less favourably – probably because so many bands have since come along doing similar things.
‘Trainwreck’ is an altogether different beast and one likely to split their fanbase. It’s more rock than post-hardcore, stripping away some of the generic and cliched elements their previous sound conveyed. With the addition of keys and a new female vocalist, the band create some spooky sounds which help tell the story of the album. Yep, Green Day have a lot to answer for – ‘Trainwreck’ is another concept album, which again works really, realy well. The basic premise is that the main character, known as The Patient, has violent, sexual nightmares which leads him to accidentally strangle his wife to death. He turns himself into the police, ends up in a mental institution and, after being released and allegedly cured, he chops off his own hands, descends into complete and utter depraved madness and, fueled by alcohol and drugs, sets off on a mudering spree with his dead wife singing to him in his head. Normal this lot are not…
But it makes for a startling, if not bizarre, album. The songs, split into one-word song titles, or chapters, are varied and interesting. Not so much catchy and anthemic, as progressively growing on you the more you listen. The lyrics, as you would expect from such a plot, are graphic and bloody – yet they’re pretty different to what you would expect. And it helps set the tone to match the music – not so much bloody and violent as often juxtaposing the words by being simple and cathartic. ‘Relapsing’, sung by new vocalist Kara, even comes across like Denali as the female singer takes on the role of the dead wife.
I know it all sounds extremely bizarre, but it really works. Boys Night Out have repeatedly said in interviews they expect a lot of furrowed brows at this record, but for me it’s a varied and compelling CD that stands head and shoulders above many of the other CDs I’ve heard in recent months. It’s a brave move to change your band’s sound – especially when the last CD sold as well as BNO’s did – but this is a successful change and one that should see the band receive many positive reviews.
www.boysnightout.com
Ferret
Paul