No Motiv return with the follow up to the superb ‘And The Sadness Prevails,’ the quite brilliant ‘Diagram For Healing.’
It would be easy to make comparisons to their Vagrant label mates the Alkaline Trio, and whilst I tried not to whilst listening, I find out increasingly difficult not to.
It’s not that the two bands sound identical, they don’t by any stretch of the imagination, it’s just they are similar. And whilst the Alkaline Trio are perhaps pacier, and have a more urgent and twisted take on their songs, No Motiv are more laid back, emotional, and in certain places, downright beautiful.
Opener ‘Celebrate’ is actually a bit of a curveball. It’s by far the punkiest track on the CD, and one of the most instant tracks on the CD. But No Motiv are not the most instant band around, and that is their appeal. And as their first album showed, they can mix the fast with the slow, and feature a blend in between.
‘Throw In the Towel’ and ‘Give Me Strength’ are melodic, emo-punk at its best, with Jeremy Palaszewski showing his vocal strengths. ‘Broken and Burned’ is simply stunning. Possibly my favourite song of the year so far, it surely is destined to break the band big. It does sound a little alternative-college rock, but it still is a beautiful song. Reminiscent of a slower Ataris, this is straight from the heart.
‘Get A Life’ picks up the pace with distorted riffs and the odd hint of palm-muting. And ‘Going Numb’ has a great big fat dirty riff that contrasts really well with the quieter ‘Only You.’
‘Break It Down,’ ‘So Long’ and ‘Savior’ are nothing too special, a bit No Motiv by numbers, but are still better songs than most bands will ever achieve. ‘To The Roots’ raises the standards again, with an intro that sounds a bit familiar, before going back into basic powerchord riffage.
‘Let It Go’ sounds like a Midtown song, which is no bad thing, and ‘Born Again’ is a great way to close. Kicking off as a bit of a drawn out weepie, the listener waits and waits for the song to kick in. Any second you’re sure that it is going to erupt. You wait. And wait… but the crescendo reaches a wonerful melodic chorus, another highlight, and a superb way to finish.
If you want sugary pop-punk, buy the new Blink CD. If you want something with a little more substance, less humour and a little more honesty, then buy this. It’s well worth getting.
Paul Savage