Here's to the Mourning [Explicit Lyrics]

Unwritten Law | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 1, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics
• Label: Lava
• ASIN: B00074CBKG
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #142,748 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

After the stripped-down acoustic pop of 2003’s Music in High Places, Unwritten Law’s back to rock, adding stadium-metal theatrics and bigger-than-big production to their sunny pop-punk on Here’s to the Mourning. Unfortunately, this is not really a good thing. Here is modern rock that sounds like it was written by an-out-of touch boardroom trying to reach target demographics--not, you know, a band. "Because Of You," the only song with a title more than one or two words long, is sonically a sweet take on the classic SoCal skatepunk sound. But it’s so daft lyrically ("My satisfaction lies in your hands girl"?) and musically (you’ve heard commercials for cleaning products that rock harder and are more complex), it sounds like a boy band trying to be "hard." A few tunes add acoustic guitars and electronic elements to the rawk; these attempts just make this late ‘90s nostalgia sound even more tired and old. Newcomers are encouraged to start with either Places or their debut, Blue Room. --Mike McGonigal

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Heavy Guitars + Melodic Notes = Solid Album, February 1, 2005

By 

mugentyper "mugentyper" (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Here's to the Mourning (Audio CD)

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)

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars trouble in paradise, February 20, 2005

By 

California Sky (Nor-Cal) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Here's to the Mourning (Audio CD)

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.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Only Getting Better With Age..., February 20, 2005

By 

A. Estes (Maine) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Here's to the Mourning (Audio CD)

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.