Customer Reviews

Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat (Bonus Dvd)

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

There are no frills on The Juliana Theory's fourth and final full-length, Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat. I wont go into the horror story of getting this album released and the hell this band had endured throughout their careers... it's all water under the bridge now because the band is defunct. That pain is washed away for most of us with the realization that we need to accept what we've been given and cherish it.

I'm a long time fan of this band and will have to review this album as such... with my feelings in the past and my eyes on the present offering. What is Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat? After the release of Love, which was a critical flop for the band, (sadly since I think the disc, at that point, was their most mature offering) how was The Juliana Theory supposed to follow that album up?

The same way they followed up each album: evolving their sound.

Always ahead of the curve, doing emo before emo really existed on most people's radar and than abandoning emo for rock before every other band would start doing it, The Juliana Theory continued their evolution of music. Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat does a great job of melding the solid rock foundations of Love (""We Make The Road By Walking"") with the sarcastic/bitter elements of Emotion is Dead (Shotgun Serenade) without rehashing a single song... each piece is a unique part of The Juliana Theory's story. ""Leaves Like a Ghost"" is a driving track that bleeds with immediacy and might be the best representation of the band. This band is not about baseless hope, they contain the seeds to dig into emotions that go far beyond--the lyrical imagery on this disc is not that far off where Emotion is Dead was at. Don't buy this disc thinking you're getting an album full of uplifting love songs, you're getting a human beings worth of love, heartache, devastation and even a little redemption. This is, in my opinion, is the masterpiece The Juliana Theory always worked towards.

Pretty much the forerunner for every popular emo/indie band going right now that has come out in the past 5 years, The Juliana Theory never received the credit they deserved during their existence... here's to hoping people will give them the respect they deserve in death.

The Good
"This is a Lovesong...For the Loveless" rocks between subtle guitar strums and in-your-face driving riffs. The chorus is just as catchy as the biting guitar lick. A galloping drum pattern mixed with chugga-chugga riffage help command "We Make the Road by Walking". Brett Detar's vocals are on the high-pitch of things, but come off melodic and tuneful. He gives it his all on the chorus. "Shotgun Serenade" starts off with just acoustic guitars and vocals. It's not long before the track gets out of control with forceful riffs and a hard-charging vocal delivery.

"My Heart is a Soldier" explores the difficulties associated with loving someone that is so difficult. The lyrical arrangement is the hook that will reel you in. "10,000 Questions" is anchored by a memorable riff and accented by emotional vocals. It really just boils down to one question asked 10,000 times: what do we have / if we don't have each other? Some of the heaviest riffs on the album come from "French Kiss-Off", an off the wall, high-energy rocker. Be sure to keep listening for the hidden bonus track that follows.

The Bad
Nothing notable

The Verdict
The Juliana Theory is one of those bands that I've sort-of heard of, but never really listened to. I always thought they were a pop-punk band. What I've realized with Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat is that The Juliana Theory really knows how to combine great hard rock rhythms, killer guitar riffs, smart lyrics, and melodic vocals to make one heck of a catchy album.

Upon this album's release in September of 2005, a fan of this fine band from the Greenburg/Latrobe, Pennsylvania area could only see greater things to come. The Juliana Theory after 4 attempts to capture their live atmosphere on a studio album came through on Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat. Unfortunately in February of 2006, the band called it quits. It's quite the misfortune for such a promising band. I'm not going to sit here and go through every album, like the countless other reviews for this particular album. All I will say is from the first album to this swan song, you can tell a growth in the band as far as musicianship and lyrics are concerned.

Brett Detar, primary songwriter and vocalist for the group found his niche in the songwriting department on this record. You can feel the anguish on the 4 pillars as they're described with the accompanying DVD. From the first song to the last song, and hidden track included, Detar and company offer an album that's worth listening to over and over again.

Standout tracks include, "This Is A Love Song For The Loveless", "Shotgun Serenade", "This Valentine Ain't No Saint", "The Final Song" and "French Kiss Off". These are not only the strongest tracks on the album, but probably the best that TJT have contributed to anything they've done in the past 7 years. There are a few lulls on the album, but they're not worth skipping over. On a whole, it is the band's greatest achievement in the studio, and it's one hell of a fine swan song if you ask me.

RIP TJT

Their first CD is OK, but it was "Emotion is Dead" and their live show that really pulled me in. "Music From Another Room" only furthered my impression that The Juliana Theory were the most underrated band in music, at the time. When I first heard "Love," certain tracks were amazing (i.e. "Do You Believe Me?"), but the bulk of that CD felt more like a Metallica CD than anything from The Juliana Theory's previous work. For me, "Love" was maybe a 3 star CD, with only a few tracks really worth listening to. It seemed that the band wanted to stray from the optimistic tones in their previous CDs and become jaded rock stars writing pseudo-metal anthems. I thought the band was essentially lost for good.

Eventually, I got around to buying Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat, despite the title. :P This is a totally different beast. First off, there are no tired and uninspired tracks like "Shell of a Man," etc. This is despite the fact that the content of much of this CD is angry and far from the tone of their first three CDs. For example, "This Valentine Ain't No Saint," "Shotgun Serenade," etc. Still, these are mature, complex and original tracks, unlike laughable "Love" tracks such as "Repeating, Repeating." There is bitter angst here, but it has been crafted into great songs. At the same time, there are just as many glimpses into the upbeat tones of "Emotion is Dead." In fact, I'd say that is the prevailing attitude of this CD, again, in contrast "Love." This CD is not as good as "Emotion is Dead," but it's still amazing.

Compared to "Emotion is Dead" and "Music from Another Room," this is definitely a different direction for Juliana Theory, but it's not the terrible nonsense that was "Love." The transition from "Music from Another Room" to this CD makes sense. Unlike "Love," if you were a fan of "Music From Another Room," you'll love this CD.

I would recommend this CD to anyone who enjoyed The Juliana Theory's early CDs, but couldn't stand "Love." Don't give up on these guys, they just had one bad CD.

This cd is so incredibly good, i got shotgun serenade and the final song on purevolume a week or two back, and i heard french kiss off last year, and loved them. I didnt think it could get better than those songs, but it did, the first song is amazing, and i love love love the secret song after french kiss off, ive listened to that song like...40 times. I recommend this cd to anyone who likes music, haha. thats how good it is. they improved so much from Love (and i didnt think that was possible).

The Juliana Theory have kicked everything up to "11" on this one. This is easily their best release yet. Every aspect of the cd from the lyrics, to the melodies, to the hooks, to the feelings behind each song is far improved from any other outing thus far. I am admitedly a fan, but this cd blew me away from start to finish. There are songs on this baby that make the hair on the back of my neck stand up! It's been YEARS since i've had a song do that! I can't say how emotional this cd is at times, but it takes the hooks on Emotion is Dead and the angry parts of Love and tops the emotional wrenching from Understanding This is a Dream all in one! Some of the highlights for me are "We Make The Road By Walking", "Shotgun Serenade", "My Heart Is A Soldier", and "The Final Song". But in all honesty, I can't play favorites (cuz the whole cd is great!) and neither will you if you check this one out. I predict you will be listening from beginning to end over and over and over!

In owning all six Julianna Theory albums, this one is my favorite. I enjoy the style of music this band creates and the way it evolves over all of thier albums. If you ever venture over to the band's mySpace, you will learn that this album is in thier opinion as well, the pinical of thier ability. They felt they were at such a level regarding thier ability that they recorded this entire album together in the same space at once. You can tell when listeniong to the cd, which is somewhat a downfall, unless it's cranked up, then it sounds great. This was the last cd writen by this band so everyone who is a fan should own it. It's like a secret treasure of good music since it was never widely released due to a poor situation with jumping record companies. So, if you don't own it and your hear reading this in interest, or if you really enjoyed the album Love, you should just buy it, you will not be dissapointed.

This album is their best by far, although their others are all worth getting as well. The first song, This is a Lovesong... For the Loveless caught my attention right away, i constantly listen to it and it's just a catchy song. We Make The Road by Walking, Shotgun Serenade, and My Heart is a Soldier are all catchy songs too and I really like them. The Final Song (not actually the last song on the cd) is a truly amazing song, I love it. And, the last song, French Kiss-Off, woah, that is the most headbanger rock song on this album and it's great.

If you're a Juliana Theory fan, definitely get this album, you won't regret it, and to new TJT listeners, even if you don't like their older material, get this album too, it's less poppy, more of a rock album, their best cd yet, in my opinion.

My first point: Sound quality

I have been reading reviews on this page that complain of the poor fidelity and/or mixing of this album. My advice to these people is buy better headphones or a better stereo or whatever! OR - and here's an idea - ACTUALLY BUY IT instead of downloading it illegally, you cheapskates! There is nothing wrong with the mixing or sound quality - in fact, it's the biggest sounding TJT record yet. And you CAN hear the lead guitar and vocals just fine. DBSHB was always meant to sound more like the band's live sound (I talked to Chad Alan 2 years ago and they were already talking about that then), but listening to this record, I think it has the energy of their live show with the quality of a carefully produced record. I'm amazed that the band actually played most of it in a room together (as seen in the bonus 'making of' DVD) and played so few overdubs.

My second point: Forget the old records please!

A lot of reviewers here seem to cling to the old albums so fiercely that they can't appreciate when a band develops it's sound. Yes, "Understand..." and "Emotion..." were good records, but THEY CAN WRITE BETTER SONGS NOW. As much as those albums have a special place in the fans hearts (including mine), you can't deny that musically at least they are much better now. The arangements of these new songs are so good! Anyone who thinks the songs sound the same and run together needs to go back and listen properly.

Third point: This is their angriest record.

I wonder what the hell happened to Brett Detar? On the last record he was singing about how "love is everything", and now... He sounds like he got his heart completely shattered. His singing has never been more aggressive and emotional than in songs like "Shotgun Serenade" - and it's great! I don't know, but I think the story and girl in "French Kiss Off" sound quite real. So what happened??

My fourth point (actually, it's kind of a summary):

To me, this is the way a record should be: Catchy, creative melodies in well arranged songs, played with high energy & urgency, with a big sound. Some songs didn't really grab me at first ("This Valentine...", "My Heart Is A Soldier"), but on repeated listens they grew on me - which in my mind is another thing that makes a record good and more playable.

Don't pass this one by. I doubt it will change the world, but really IT'S JUST A DAMN GOOD ROCK RECORD.

Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat is The Juliana Theorys best cd. I love the previous cds, but the song structure has been perfected and they have kept the sound that makes them different from the many clones. The whole cd is something that I can listen to with out skipping a song. It has been awhile since there has been a cd I actually get excited to hear.