Customer Reviews

Departures & Landfalls

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

the feeling of being brought up, or maybe back to life with a simple song or album (in this case) is amazing. people worry to much about production and sound. ive been rightfully raised that music comes from the heart. if there is no heart, there is no (real) music. these boys have done simply that. they recorded there life, love, and heartfelt isolation on one recording. there only worry being not how well its recorded but how well they transformed ther hearts to sound...this is only love and depresion. these days are growing darker and darker if it was not for this record, i would of already closed my eyes for good. the long silence between songs, the trains in the background, the long interludes of crickets and whispering changeing into long emotional blasts of midwestern aggresion simply put- keeps me alive. this recording needs justice. it needs a real music lover. someone who understands not production but beauty and heart in underground sounds. much love and respect...

and that would be fire engine red. just a word on this production debate; bob weston (sebadoh, mission of burma, june of 44) produced this album, and it's experimental. the vocals are super roomy and sometimes hard to hear, and everything is very natural and live sounding, much like the work of his bandmate steve albini. the production is indeed weird, but calling it a basement recording is ridiculous (personally i think it sounds great). anyway, this is a great album that defined emo back when it was good. emo used to be youthful, innocent, idealistic and genuine (which of course none of the modern emo is). boys life live dressed the part as well to drive all that home, with stand-by-me-esque outfits and hair, like the magazine boys life. every time i listen to fire engine red, even though it's 10 years later, i'm still in awe of how great it is, and many others i know feel the same way. so check it out.

This CD is totally amazing, the rythms and the tightness of this band are just plain cool. try it out. If you like bands like Mineral, Ethel Meserve, A Minor Forest, Roadside Monument, The Vehicle Birth, or Slint you should check them out, if your not into the bands I just listed, well still get it, plus the word is amazing so, that says enough right? yes!

Emo is the current arena rock, complete with outrageous outfits, over-production, and songwriting that could be attributed to any damn teenager dealing with the frustrations of puberty.
Boys Life avoids this completely, yet still manages to be lumped into the category of "emo." The innovative dynamic and melodic structure separate it from the geeky, plastic glasses crowd. The production is low budget, as the liner notes proclaim, but the songs come across with more urgency and feeling than any sweater-clad geek will achieve. So I think this is a good record.

If you are a fan of this type of music, then departures and landfalls is basicly the bible for anyone who loves midwestern emo. recorded all live and basicly perfect in every way. and hey! its cheap on cd. soon to be a collectable for sure. the lp sells for about 40 to 60 dollars these days at least. by far their best effort (i also own all their 7 inches and splits). Departures is the one to get, and their split with christie front drive.
Also check out cross my heart, the same type of stuff to make your heart bleed all over the place.

I bought this after reading how it was the best album ever from other reviewers (rookie amazon mistake in most cases). When I got it, I have to admit I didnt get it at first. The sound was not very good, the vocals were kind of off key and strained. But there was one gorgeous song (24 of 25), that kept my interest, the long intro with ambient train and cricket noise reminded me of growing up in the midwest.

Over time I occasionally listened to a track or two and came to appreciate how this band avoids all expectations of normal music. just when you think its going to kick in and get heavier (becuase every other song you ever listened to did that) it drops out to a softer moment. In other places, sudden snare drums kick off a swirl of scratchy guitars that you don't expect. I can't really get into the other stuff this band put out, its a little 'disturbed' sounding, but this album walks an interesting line between math-rock, midwest indie emo (what was emo in 90s at least), and just pure originality. I recomend the tracks '24 of 25', 'Sleeping Off Summer', 'Radio Towers', 'Painted Smiles', 'Fire Engine Red'.

Boy's Life created what it feels like to be alive with this record. It hits and punches on all the nerves that make you feel. Intelligent yet simple. Technical yet raw. Imperfect yet very perfect. I've been listening to this record for over ten years now and I just want to say thanks Boys Life. It's an amazing piece of music.

I don't understand what the other reviewer means by "over-production." This album is one of the worst produced I've had a chance to listen to in my life: the sound is like is was recorded in a garage. The only song worth listening is "Twenty Four of Twenty Five," which has a very Jeff Buckley feel to it. Other than this, there's nothing else in this album...