This Is Who You Are

Beautiful Mistake | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 6, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Militia
• ASIN: B0001NBN52
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #230,057 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

The Beautiful Mistake have just released their new album, This is Who You Are. Really, we should be asking who they are. If you put their first two full-length releases side-by-side, it is a tale of two bands. Both albums are intense, and melodic, but their first, Light a Match For I Deserve to Burn, is decidedly heavier than the latest. The last time that the band came through Cleveland, I had a chance to talk to lead singer Josh Hagquist and he talked a bit about the writing process for this new album. On their first album, he told me that a lot of people had lumped them in with a lot of the other scream/sing hybrid bands that came out during the same time period. He didn't name any bands, but I assume he was talking about Thursday, Finch, The Used, etc. I am sure it was frustrating to be immediately written off as another band that is "copying Thursday." This time around, the band set out to make a record that was different than the first album while still being true to themselves and their influences. The result is This is Who You Are. Some fans will be turned off by the departure from the screaming, but overall, I think the band has created an album that is still melodic and intense. I am not sure if it lived up to the first record, Light a Match, but it is different enough that comparisons aren't really necessary. The band's message this time around is a lot more celebratory and thankful. There is less of the self-loathing and anger that came through on Light a Match. The title track, which leads the album off opens very large and has an equally large chorus of, "We will fall, no longer this time." Just in case you thought the band was going soft, they blast the greatest riff of their lives on "The Separation." There are other highlights like "Wide-eyed and Wasted," and "My Reminder," but the album closer, "Cold Hands (For Dying Hearts)" is the one that will leave you wanting more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Average, June 28, 2004

By 

D. M. Trevarthen "lesigh" (New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: This Is Who You Are (Audio CD)

This is Who You Are is a letdown after Light a Match. The lyrics are sappy, the riffs less engaging, and the songs as a whole are lacking something. Where Light a Match showed a blatant disregard for pop sensibilities (and it worked) by switching from soaring melodies to brutal breakdowns, this record tries too hard to be accessible. As a result, there is no vitality. Where Light a Match depicted a band performing dark, grandoise emo tunes, This is Who You Are is a sappy performance of indie rock.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Room for improvement, April 26, 2004

By 

Jon Kortebein (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: This Is Who You Are (Audio CD)

I heard the title tune on DirecTV's "Alternative" music channel and liked the song enough to buy the record. Unfortunately, save for a few tunes, the record as a whole disappoints me. The first three songs are, in my opinion, the best on the record and highlight what the band does well. They have an anthemic quality, offer reasonably interesting, tight arrangements, use dynamic changes well and deliver empassioned vocals while avoiding screaming, which to me is cliche. That's especially true of Wide-Eyed and Wasted, where they use the two-guitar setup to present a broad, interesting pallette. On none of the songs are lyrics an asset, though lyrics of the first few tracks are superior to the others. Production values on this record exceed expectations. It sounds pretty good.

I get the sense that TBM shot the moon on this recording, but I don't think they quite made it. To get there they'll need to continue to focus on the strengths identified above while working hard to improve their lyrical offerings. On this record I get the sense that TBM has fallen into the trap of believing that the passion with which the words are sung compensates for the shortcomings of those words. It doesn't.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hope for the future., May 19, 2004

By 

SKOLVK (TUCSON) - See all my reviews

This review is from: This Is Who You Are (Audio CD)

I thought this album was pretty good. "This is who you are" is a beautiful song. I love its message of determination and perseverance. "The seperation" and "Cold hands" were also great tracks but I found the rest of the album kind of bland. "Wide eyed and wasted" showed promise but never got off the ground. Even though this album is lacking, the talent of the band is undeniable. I'm sure fans of Dredg will enjoy this album but I think the best is still to come form Beautiful Mistake. The band just needs to devlope their sound more and they will be a force to be reconed with.