Customer Reviews

If Only You Were Lonely

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

A while back, I was in the mood for some new Screamo bands, as I had just listened to Underoath "They're Only Chasing Safety" album, and, while I preferred Dallas-era Underoath, I was one of the few long time fans that really liked that album, and wanted to find something similar to that style. Someone had recommended Hawthorne Heights, and found it strange that I had never heard of them. I don't pay attention to MTV, nor do I listen to any rock station that would play this sort of music, so I was one of the few in America that could claim to never hearing "Ohio is For Lovers" at the time. I bought the CD on impulse, and was kind of intrigued to see that they had a 3-guitarist line up (something not used all too often), and mistakenly raised my hopes that there would be a tad more complex melodies ensuing (please keep in mind I had never heard these guys before when making this false-expectation). Well, the result of this being that I was not just disappointed by the album, but appalled and confused at how they had become as popular as they are now.

I refused to buy the new CD, but I still was given a copy of it without being asked. I didn't really want to listen to it, but I was willing to give this band a second chance, since, after all, I didn't actually have to pay for it. My conclusion remains the same: the complaints I had about the first album are still present. Where to begin?

1) Back to the "3-guitarist line up" deal: every time I hear someone mention this, I think "The Slipknot of Emo". Why? I'm going to assume everyone knows who Slipknot is, and how they have 9 members that are essentially pulling off a sound that a group of 3 or 4 talented musicians could make (4, of course, if the singer isn't playing a guitar). Hawthorne Heights seems to do the same thing, in a way that I'm still in a state of disbelief that they actually have 3 guitarists. Having this line up is not only a silly marketing scheme to give people a preconception that the music is more complex than it actually is as present by the explanation behind the line up, but just silly all around. There really is no reason for the 3 guitarists, because what they are playing isn't that overly technical or complex, nor do the rhythms come off as incredibly different from each other. You need that many people playing guitar to pull of a set of 4 different chords? Please...

This didn't impress me about the last album, and this still rings true about this one, as well. I'm trying to think of a single song on here that utilizes the odd line up, and I'm drawing blanks. The CD starts off with This is Who We Are, where even the lead is incredibly simple, and this just carries on through out the rest of the album.

2) The screaming is utterly repugnant in the name that is good vocals. Before I hear the "if you don't like the screams, you shouldn't be listening to this music!" argument, remember that I listen to UnderOath, and absolutely love their vocal style, being actually disappointed that they cut back the screams on their new album. So this whole "you just don't like Screamo" argument doesn't work. Hawthorne Heights is an emo band, that one beautiful Tuesday afternoon thought to themselves "Kids like this new hardcore scene, maybe we should mix it into our music!".

Band Member 1: Hey, can you scream?
Member 2: I think I can... I can always try.
Member 1: Great! Scream incoherently in the background to make our music seem more "emotional" and "angry". It'll be awesome, I promise...

This guy doing these abominations called a "guttural growl" leaves me at a loss for words. I honestly cannot appreciate this, and on a rare occurrence that I do find a song to be good, the Cookie Monster's retarded cousin comes in and ruins the song... I feel that I have used the words "silly" and "unnecessary", or other synonyms way too much in this review already, but I just can't help it.

3) The lyrics: can you say "feeding a fad"? I'm sure everyone that's listened to this band remembers such classics as "cut my wrist and black my eyes", and other senseless drivel that comprised the last album. I'm here to say that this really hasn't changed too much on their newest... Actually, it's just as bad, if not worse. Hell, the opening to Say Sorry goes as following:

"These colors will not change
You change the way I see them
These words will fade
when you explain why you hate them
we are the same"

It's like some bad poetry on some 12 year old's online journal, and it just doesn't manage to get any better as the album progresses. What they talk about is trite, and the way they talk about it is just as inane and ridiculous. We get it: you hate your life, want to mutilate yourself and want "her" back in your life (if this particular "her" even exists, or is just a hypothetical situation that could happen to all of us... wait, did I surpass the number of syllables that is allowed to be in a review about this album?). I don't necessarily think that every band needs to write lyrics about their stance on their distaste towards a future where Starbucks might pop up on every other street corner in Cambodia, but at least make your lyrics interesting and seemingly important. You know, like you actually have a concern about issues in your life other than your wallet being empty. These lyrics are, once again, hackneyed, and just cashing in on this so-called "emo fad" running around middle schools and high schools today.

4) Boring delivery. Here's what not only ticks me off about this band, but also confuses me, at the same time. Yes, it is subjective, and cannot be proven as a fact either way when trying to debate "the catchiness" of Hawthorne Heights' music. That's the lovely thing about pop music in general, is that a lot of people tend to actually have a preference on the matter on "who sounds better, N'Sync or Backstreet Boys?" when I stand in the middle asking "what's the difference?" However, even as I accept this, I cannot for the LIFE of me figure out how these guys became so popular. I guess Ohio Is For Lovers would be an acceptable answer, but really, what makes these guys so great? Maybe I'm in a vast minority when I say I just don't get it. This album is the same as the last: you got a catchy single (record label says "Money in the bank, CHA CHING!"), and a load of other mediocre to dreadful songs. I do admit that this album, with the exception of the last song, is a LOT more lively than the dreadful debut, and I will credit them for that. I will also say that the filler problem is not nearly as bad on this album, as it was on their last, at the expense that most of the songs don't really advance in complexity or structure (a new word in the review, for once).

As far as I'm concerned, I would say Ohio is For Lovers was the catchiest song on the first, and Niki FM was the only other tolerable song on the album (the rest being pure waste). On this, their single Say Sorry was a decent start, with Dead in the Water, and Pens and Needles following close behind. See? An example of progression at its absolute finest!

I think I've given this band way too much energy than it deserves by writing this review. I'm not going to break down the songs, and give a reason why I like or dislike them, I'm going to stick by my complaints listed above as you can expect me to say the same exact thing for each song (if you need one: open up a text document, copy/paste the song list, and put this by each of the following: "catchy, but bland, unispiring, lackluster songwriting, mixed with poor execution", and you got my "breakdown" for the songs). I'm going to sum it up with this: this album is NOT a good album for the reasons above. There is just too many faults about this record that make it hard to listen to. Why 2 stars instead of one, since I have done nothing but bash the living hell out this band? Well, they are competent (not GREAT or even GOOD) musicians, I'll give them that; I'd be exaggerating if I said that this band sounded like a high school punk group that insists on covering Blink 182. The GOOD:

-the guitarists know how to play the guitar, and if they don't, then they are doing a damn fine job at acting like they do. Color me convinced...
-the drummer seems in beat, and definitely knows that he has a snare and at least one cymbal..
-top notch sound quality. Truly, an exceptional performance from the sound crew giving me the opportunity to hear all 4 or 5 chords that this band plays at the best quality possible. Bravo!
-it's just a fad, and fads go away eventually...

If you are like I was back when the debut came out, and looking for some screamo/emo/punk/what have you that resemble this type of music and has an accessible sound, you can do a whole lot better than both of Hawthorne Heights' releases. Try THE USED, UNDEROATH's They're Only Chasing Safety release (hell, even check out some of their older metal offerings), ARMOR FOR SLEEP, COHEED AND CAMBRIA, SAOSIN, and the list goes on and on. There are so many just-as-accessible bands out there that offer so much more than Hawthorne Heights. However, if you are a kid that's currently sitting in his room reading this review, and angry as you think about how much you hate your parents for grounding you the other day for not mowing the lawn (you tortured soul, you... call Child Services if they even dare make you take out the trash or do your homework), and want music to "cut your wrist and black your eyes" to, then more than likely you already have this album, and clicked the "No" button, so I'm not here to change your mind. Same with people who don't like this band.

I'm certainly not going to prevent these guys from making yet another million off another mediocre album, but I just had to give my input on "Music Label X's cash cow" (nice touch on the 2 different album covers, by the way... really, that was just great).

You know, I've read all kinds of reviews of this album, but I thought the best review was by a guy who really didnt like the band, but gave a completely neutral review...a true honest interpretation of this album. I am a huge Hawthorne Heights fan. I loved SIBAW and fell in love with all their songs and literally counted down the days til I could buy the new one..

But, I was very disappointed when I actually listened to it. I will admit to everyone right now, that if you are looking for guitar-efficinado (sp?) then this is not the cd or band to purchase...but I love the drums and bass, very much so. It seems that HH is becoming the band that draws all the teenage-girls to the emo/screamo scene or whatever, all over MTV.

Now, once again, I am not saying that HH has "sold-out" or anything else as lame..Im just saying that the reason that SIBAW was sooo good was because they tore it up and Casey ( the screamer ) did his thing. Now he is a rarity, he's mic is always turned down and JT, a mediocre singer at best is the backbone of HH. I love this sorta music...but this album didnt do it for me.

Before you read another brainless, run-of-the-mill emo fan review of this cd, just know that if you're a fan of HH, de pick it up...but no one should buy this with the expectations of musical genious and the next greatest album ever...but enjoy it for what it is : a decent follow-up to their debut...nothing more and nothing less.

I must be the only one who is completely confused as to how Hawthorne Heights have received so much buzz. As soon as I'm seeing them on MTV, in huge commercials, and playing late night shows, I'm finding I know little to nothing about their actual music. I put on their debut, "The Silence In Black And White," and was suprised to discover that the songs on that record were getting so much hype, so much attention; it was unclear to me what the "special" thing was with Hawthorne Heights. To me, they always seemed to be relatively run of the mill melodic pop touched with hardcore.

"If Only You Were Lonely" obviously had a nice budget; there is a dual CD cover for Gods sake, and the band has already done a DVD with one album under their belt. I put this album on and immediately was sucked into the catchiness of it all. Super-charged production on the guitars and vocals is brutally and terribly obvious, and it's not a super bad thing. It seems the singer's abilities to really project require a boost in vocal production, and that's fine. None of this bothered me a bit, for some reason, and I enjoyed the relatively harmless, predictable, and redundant vocal melodies and guitars for a bit. That's likely the best word to describe this record: harmless. The "growling/screaming" is present, (duhhhhh) and is even buried and as boring as the 3-4 chord interchange that backs it up.

So, should you buy this record? You probably are going to already, if you're the mass. But if you were on the fence with it, I'd say sure, why not. We could all use a dose of over-production and shameless, false vocal renderings to get us through the day. Regardless of how plastic and generic this band is, this album has relatively agreeable, pleasant melodies and vocal ramblings, and never steps outside of the box, keeping things clean, harmless, and entirely safe. After all, what else you expect from the cute boys of trendy hard-ass pop punk?

When I first bought Hawthorne Heights 'If Only You Were Lonely' I had alot of anticipation for it but after listening to it I was just completley disappointed. There is only about 1 maybe 2 decent songs on the entire album. Each song, I think, is poorly written, JD the lead singer sounds and sings horendous, and overall it is just a bad album. I wouldn't recommend 'If Only You Were Lonely' to anybody.

First of all I just want to address all the people that have been saying not to write a review for a band if you don't like them. That's stupid. The purpose of writing a review is to give your opinion, whether it's positive or negative, of an album. People deserve a balanced set of viewpoints. I'd like to review Hawthorne Heights compared to other emo bands, especially since I've listened to literally hundreds of emo bands, but I'll just review them in regards to all music. They are terrible. Remember how Green Day got really popular, and then Blink 182 came along, and then eventually Good Charlotte and finally bands like Simple Plan? Each band came out imitating the ones before them and they got progressively worse. Green Day's still selling albums and what've you heard from Simple Plan lately? Nothing. My point is, this is the heights (excuse the pun) for Hawthorne Heights. By the time they release another album, they will be long forgotten. They are imitators who bring nothing new to music. The hooks are mediocre, the lyrics are unintelligent cliches, and let's be honest, most people agree the lead vocals are pretty thin and whiny. Especially live. If you have a ton of money to waste on music, then go ahead and pick this up. If you're on a budget, you'd be much better off with someone else.

Over all, not a terrible CD, if you can get past the screams. (Not good enough to release two versions of the same CD, however, even if it did have different artwork and DVDs inside.) Personally, the screaming "thing" doesn't add to the songs because it's such an OVERUSED device in several types of music nowadays, so it makes me want to skip ahead and see what's next rather than listen to the song finish. Guys in H.H., if you ever read any of these reviews, look for a different gimmick than "Emo-Screamo". If you want to wear your hearts on your sleeves, that's fine, but when you blend in with everyone else, your music will get lost in the shuffle. That's not a good thing, right?

As far as the screaming "thing" goes, a guy sounding like his [...] are being squeezed in a bench vise WHILE an unlubricated watermelon is being slowly inserted in his [...] is NOT singing, I don't care who is doing it...

This album simply sounds rushed and uninspired. I loved "The Silence in Black and White," but Hawthorne's newest effort sounds like a collection of songs that didn't make the cut on their former album.

To elaborate a little bit, the chord structure for one is almost identical in every song. Simple chord structure's aren't a bad thing, but what Hawthorne fails to do is give every song it's own uniquness. They have three guitar players in this band? Come on guys one of you has to have some ideas floating around.

The lyrics, in a word, horrible. In two words, utterly horrible.

"I just wanted you to know
I think about you every night
When I fall asleep
You are in my dreams
And just like in a movie
The one you want to see
With a happy ending"

An excerpt from "We Are So Last Year." Yes I understand they are marketed towards teenagers, but let's give our youth a little more credit. I think they would appreciate something with more depth, I know I would. That kind of song writing shows absolutely no effort to me. It comes across as strained and fake.

Lastly, the clever marketing ploy of releasing different liner books, that when put together tell a story, was even uninspired. Wow a picture story where a guy is moving away from his girlfriend. If you want to see it, look it up on the internet. There's absolutely no reason to own two of these expensive drink coasters to get a picture story.

To summarize, I wouldn't run across hot coals to turn it off if it were playing, but neither would I pass up the chance to throw it out of a friends car on the freeway while they weren't paying attention.

Hawthorne Height's Silence in Black and White was so much better than this CD. Some of these song names are just so Emo it's unbelievable. Dead in the Water? Where Can I Stab Myself in the Ears? Come on. What the hell is that. Anyways, this is still a decent CD... here's my review.

This Is Who We Are: 9.5/10. This really is an excellent song. I just like the opening riff and the way it's sung. Great way to start the CD.

We Are So Last Year: 8/10. Not that great at all. I really only like this song because of the guitar work.

Language Lessons: 9/10. Another good song. I like the vocals a lot.

Pens and Needles: 9/10. Another great song... I like the guitar riffs once again. Nice beat, decent lyrics, I like it.

Saying Sorry: 9/10. Obviously the first single for this album. It's a good one but it's getting old. The lyrics also are pretty lame and repetitious.

Dead in the Water: 8.5/10. Straight up Emo from the song name to the lyrics, but I like the vocals in this song.

I am on your Side: 7/10. Really the same beat and whatnot throughout the entire song. A weak spot on the CD.

Breathing in Sequence: 7.5/10. So-so track. Nothing special about it at all.

Light Sleeper: 7/10. I really once again just don't like this one.

Cross Me Off Your List: 7/10. Doesn't really speed up, until the chorus, and is just a slow boring song.

Where Can I Stab Myself In The Ears: 7/10. Stupid song name. Boring song.

Decembers: 6.5/10 Horrible way to end the CD. Slow, boring song that will put most people to sleep.

Overall, the beginning of the CD is pretty good, but it goes all downhill from there, making this CD one that you shouldn't buy, but maybe rip a copy of.

WOW is the only word to describe this album. I own both editions of the old album "The Silence in black and white" and thats a pretty good cd, a little generic, yes, a little overdone, yes but still nice to listen to. This cd blows their old music out of the water! I was so stunned by the awesomeness of this album that i cant even find words to describe it. This is one of my only cds that i can listen to straight through with no skipping.
here is a breakdown of the tracks.

This is who we are / 10/10 One of the best songs on the album, very catchy and is a great way to start the cd

We are so last year / 7/10 Still a very good song, but is more of a filler track than anything else.

Language Lessons / 8/10 Very catchy, and not bad on the lyrics side either ;)

Pens and Needles / 10/10 One of my other favorites off the album. Fairly original tune that i cant say i have heard anywhere before

Saying Sorry / 7/10 The first single off the cd. Catchy as hell but i really dislike the lyrics. They are very simple. Least favorite song off the cd but still love it! :)

Dead in the water / 11/10 Breakthrough track in HH history!!! Best song they have ever done or written.

I am on your side / 7/10 Not bad, but i feel this is more of another filler.

Breathing in sequence / 10/10 Another very good song! I love the tune they use in this song, its soft, yet still has a harder edge to it.

Cross me off your list / 9/10 I really enjoy this song. I cant really describe it because its so unique in sound its very slow though, which is very pleasant to listen to.

Where can I stab myself in the ears / 10/10 I love this song. Its one of the ones where after its done, i skip back to listen to it again :p Extremely catchy Chorus.

Decembers / 6/10 Least favorite track on the album, VERY slow.

Overall i feel is one of the best albums so far this year, and i have a feeling it will be one of my top favorites for months to come.

I guess some reviewers don't understand that people are looking at the reviews on here to see our actual opinions about the music, not how much we want the band members to kill themselves. Anyway, I can't necessarily agree that Hawthorne Heights' debut album, The Silence In Black and White, was a breakthrough hit because I never even heard of them until now. But they still came back with If Only You Were Lonely.

I agree with A. Martin's review, but the album does start off nicely with "This Is Who We Are". It also ends nicely with "Decembers" (even though end-of-album mellow songs are a little too clich?d), but between those two songs, things are okay, but not great. Most of the material is songs that you'll forget five minutes after listening to them. And "Where Can I Stab Myself In the Ears" is probably titled as such for shock value, but it still doesn't do anything for me.

I was initially going to give this album 3-1/2 stars, but I knocked off half a star when I realized that every single song is about the same thing: bad relationships (Fuel, anyone?). While If Only You Were Lonely really isn't a bad album, the band really needs to vary the subject matter for their next album.

Anthony Rupert