Customer Reviews

Here's to the Mourning (Clean)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Unwritten Law's latest release is a very solid album. This album has definately evolved from prior albums. They have decreased the fast paced punk (with the exception of Lost Control, She Says, F.I.G.H.T.) and taken up a bit of a harder rock position. The guitars on most of the tracks are heavier than their older stuff but it really works. And they haven't changed what works best for them, which in my opinion is the amazing melodic vocals. This album is listenable all the way through, there are no tracks that need be skipped, which I think is an improvement over their previous albums. My personal favourites are:

Get Up (amazing guitar riffs)
Because of You (Slower song with catchy vocals)
Save Me (very catchy vocals and beat)
Walrus (good way to end the album)

Average. I've been listening to Russo and the boys for solid for three days after getting my mitts on "Here's to the Mourning." It's evident, like on "Elva," that the band has undergone some significant changes since hitting the low-end of 90's mainstream California punk rock. In Elva's footsteps, the band (or possibly Russo) sings of depression, dissatisfaction, and addiction. Walrus' "Everything gets old / everyone is dumb / so i keep changing / everything is gay, everyone is fake
so i can't hang around" has me sadly missing self-titled's careful attention to music, feeling, and ambiguity. "Hide Away" has Russo chanting, "slow dance take a chance with me / take off your pants with me," and the music often feels unexplored and void of depth.

While chalked full of accurate depictions of Russo's sentiments on life, the music is uncomfortably hammered into a poppy, radio-friendly version of angst punk, making the sound and content uncomfortable for lovers of older UL material.

The hooks are there and your foot will tap, but you'll quickly tire of the lyrical content, Russo's new affinity for F-words to fill gaps, his depressive tones and lack of sound variety that even Elva managed to contain. First timers and "Save Me" radio spin-offs would be better off starting with the self-titled CD or Elva.

Unwritten Law are quite an anomaly in the current pop-punk music scene. They aren't cute, their songs can be sloppy, and frontman Scott Russo seems to have a fixation on the darker things in life, you know, as opposed to high-school romances. "Here's To The Mourning," the follow-up to 2002's breakthrough "Elva," no doubt comes from a dark place. Russo's angsty lyrics, for the most part on here, revolve around drug abuse and bad relationships, topics that are not new, but are handled very maturely and passionately in the hands of this band. The single "Save Me" sets the tone for the rest of the album, which could be seen as a concept piece. The song is perfectly structured and takes dark material into catchy territory. Elsewhere, the band gets sloppier, but that's o.k. The music on here isn't focused on one genre specifically, and some of the songs move in unexpected ways. Overall, the album doesn't have much of a polish to it. "I Like The Way," one of the signature songs, an ode to drug-use, is a perfect example of how infectious and fine-tuned this band can be, but also why will never quite fit in on mainstream radio. "Because Of You" is the lone ballad, and is complimented nicely by the spiteful "She Says." Other highlights include the straight rockers "Lost Control" and "Celebration Song." The album goes on without a hitch, even if it is a bit awkward and different, and not very refined. Afterall, that's what true rock and roll is about, right? My only complaint is that they just had to bring in Linda Perry (Christina Aguilera, Pink) to produced "Save Me." Now come on. Was this their label trying to get them some bonus popularity points? Unwritten Law have written catchier songs in the past without an outsider, and the rest of the album is a testament to how good they are without a song-doctor. But I guess we'll never know the reasons. Who cares, though, right? It's an amazing album, the first great release of the year. It just cements my respect for Unwritten Law and I highly recommend it to anyone.

i don't know what album the people are listening too that gave this 3 stars or less, they have grown so much as a band and they clearly prove it on this album. i let a friend who had never heard them before, listen to this album, and he was surprised at how diverse they can be...this album, just like 'music in high places' shows that these guys can do just about anything...keep up the great work and i can't wait for the tour!

Unwritten Law has gone slightly downhill. On Elva, we saw some good old fashioned punk-rock laced with some slightly harder content. Also, it had some pretty good lyrics. I picked up 'Here's to the Mourning' expecting it to be more of the same, if not slightly harder. What I got was dumbed down, "why can't I be on the radio?" modern rock. For example, the lyrics are just inane, making no sense, merely trying to rhyme wherever it seems like it needs to. You'll hear nothing really new here, just some tired riffs and progressions that you've doubtless heard before in other places.
On the plus side, this IS Unwritten Law, and some of the songs are undeniably catchy and good to bounce your head to. I just think that this band is capable of much better music. This one's a miss, but I sure hope that their next album shows recovery.

I want my money back. After Elva and Music in High Places, I expected more, not just some really intelligent band trying to be hard... badly.

Although not as good as the self titled CD, this album by UL is the next best thing. Overall, the album is not too poppy, as Elva kind of was, and has more of a rock feel. Even though we all miss Wade, UL has come through once again with an amazing new sound and amazing new album. I recommend to all, even my mom likes it.

My buddy Tony from Pulley played drums on this record. and thats about as much good stuff i have to say. What happened to these guys? the self titled record is so great. and elva had some great moments... then... this. The riffs don't really stand out and the keyboard/synth sounds distract and sound too forced rather than help any of the songs. there are some okay songs and the vocals are good but even Linda Perry (who wrote christina aguilerra's "beautiful" and much of her Stripped album among others) couldn't save the unmemorable tunes. i did give repeated listens wondering if perhaps i was just not in the mood for a rock record... then i realized i just wasnt in the mood for this record. do yourself a favor and listen to the soundbites here. thats the best advise i can give. i hoped that this record would bring back the band i dug on the self titled record but found the band that was starting to take over on the last record have finally decided to stay.honestly, i should have asked Tony to get me a free copy... but he still hasn't got me a free copy of the Jealous Sound record he did last year. punk.

I don't actually own the album, but I listened to it online and it is great!!! Unwritten Law can switch up generes and still deliver. A great combination of guitar and great vocals. Check out Elva too. You can't go wrong with Unwritten Law.

Bought this a long time ago and I still love it. Similar to Elva musically, with the band showing their ability to produce yet another great album with back-to-back great songs one after the next. Best Songs = She Says, Save Me, Walrus