A surprisingly mature debut full-length from a young band chronicling its struggles against commerce, survival, creative stagnation, emotional turbulence… wait a second, was this album written about me!? Sure, and it is also written about you, if you’ve ever experienced what it’s like to be in a “working band.” Worrying over finances dulling your muse, the stress of dealing with bullshit promoters / venues causing fights within your band, spending so much time on the road (playing to five people every night) that the lives of your hometown moves on without you… it is frustration and loneliness at their worst. You don’t belong at home because you’ve been away for too long, but The Road won’t take you in permanently because you’re not “commercially successful” enough to pay its tolls. So what do you do? If you’re Facing New York, you spit these tales back in life’s face via tangle webs of chiseled guitars, polyrhythms, and haunting Rhodes tinkering, recalling Cursive / The Dismemberment Plan / Aloha but coming off way more melodic than all three. You take seemingly crazy turns in the middle of songs, only to end up in a better place each time. All roads lead to catharsis and startling inventiveness: constantly wowing ears with rewards. You know how each snowflake is individually unique? Imagine Facing New York as a snowstorm and each song – fuck that, each song’s instrumentation – as flakes. Now put on your microscope glasses and tell me your mouth is still closed.

A formidable talent has emerged. Listen and be moved.
www.facingnewyork.com
www.fiveoneinc.com

Tim Den

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 Past Constructive Criticism

Julian posted the following Constructive Criticism: Hey man, no criticism, that review was absolutely amazing, couldn't have put it better myself. You score some serious points for referencing Aloha...wow, I'm totally impressed. I read a lot of reviews on Punknews.org and this one alone tops all of those. Peace.