- Release Info -------------------------------------------------------------- -
Artist: Gates
Album: Bloom & Breathe
Label: Pure Noise
Playtime: 51:34 min
Genre: Rock
URL:
Rip date: 2014-11-21
Street date: 2014-10-21
Size: 104.03 MB
Type: Normal
Quality: 261 kbps / 4410Hz / Joint Stereo
- Release Notes ------------------------------------------------------------- -
"Often, it's tough for fans of more abrasive sounds to accept a more
'accessible' band of the given style. Go ahead, call bullshit, but it's so
easy to pass off such artists as insipid. At some point, however, we grow up
and recognize when a band takes the best parts of our favourite genre(s) to
make something universally pleasing, it isn't inherently diluted. Bloom and
Breathe, the debut full-length from New Jersey post-rock/emo outfit Gates,
sees the group pull off cathartic builds and soaring melodies that outshine
their contemporaries. The glossy sheen might be disconcerting to some, but
it's hard not to grow accustomed - like trading in a car. Sure, your old
beater had character, but that fresh new scent is ever so inviting, and the
handling is so smooth, you'll wonder how you went without it all these years.
I'm not entirely sure when I first got into emo music... possibly ten years
ago with the discovery of essentials a la Texas Is The Reason and Sunny Day
Real Estate. This reminiscing would be pointless if not for the fact that,
like many fans of this style, I gravitated towards more abrasive bands over
time. It was addicting. Gradually, I developed somewhat of an elitism towards
bands I considered too 'soft', like I just... you know, couldn't connect man.
Were I to maintain this outlook, I surely would've hated Bloom and Breathe
without reservation. Not only is it, seemingly, a drop in the ocean of of
post-rock hybrids, but it's undeniably polished. The vocalist sounds like John
Rzeznik at one moment - particularly during "Not My Blood" - then belts out
full, resonating choruses the next. The instrumentals are crisp, and the
lyrics are pretty standard fare with no apparent all-encompassing depression
fuelling them. Lines like "We all live clamouring to survive/and we all die
longing to feel alive" feel inconsequential with the smooth, stripped down
vocals serving as the medium. Yes, my 16-year-old younger self indignantly
tells me I should hate this.
I don't... my friends, it's lovely. The songs are soothing, and it's easy to
appreciate the care of craft. Guitar lines are deliberately executed
throughout, but not robotically so - they are fluid, and intrinsic to the
emotional buildup of the longer tracks - "At Last the Loneliest of Them" is
exceptionally fervent, and sees the vocalist scream "But I wonÆt repent for
what IÆve done/and I canÆt forget what IÆve become" as the song apexes. Timing
is on point, and "Light the First Page" incorporates math elements for good
measure. Pop melodies carry most of the songs forward, and they rarely lull,
but rather contribute to a twofold listening experience. On one hand, you
could dwell in the sincerity of the instrumentation, or opt to revel in the
anthemic lyrical delivery. No doubt, heartache and moments of regret are to
blame on some level, but the specifics don't matter (with no intention to
devalue them, I insist). Bloom and Breathe isn't merely the outpour of some
profound, esoteric event. It is a broad, easily relatable spectrum of simple
musings that are by no means insincere. Gates have delivered an album personal
enough to draw your gaze, but just vague enough to put the ball in your court,
allowing an understanding that is all your own. There are no constraints -
bloom and breathe."
- Track List ---------------------------------------------------------------- -
01. everything that ever has been ( 1:44)
02. bloom ( 4:22)
03. persist in delusion ( 3:39)
04. not my blood ( 5:55)
05. light the first page ( 3:33)
06. the thing that would save you ( 6:03)
07. nothing you'll miss ( 2:26)
08. at last the loneliest of them ( 6:11)
09. born dead ( 3:21)
10. marrow ( 1:50)
11. low ( 4:07)
12. again at the beginning ( 5:51)
13. everything that always will be ( 2:32)
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