Album Reviews: This Will Destroy You, Pianos Become The Teeth, etc.
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
Three of these four bands have names that are full sentences.
This Will Destroy You
Karlo X Ramos
Karlo X Ramos
The World Is a Beautiful Place … | C+
The World is a Beautiful Place & I am No Longer Afraid to Die’s new Between Bodies (Broken World Media) — a collaboration with spoken word poet Chris Zizzamia — is better understood as a one-off experiment and not a serious entry in the collective’s discography. Zizzamia waxing metaphysical nonsense over bloated post-rock? It’s exactly as pretentious as you expect.
—Marc Snitzer
All Your Friend’s Friends | B
This comp really should not be this good. The concept — myriad Pacific Northwest rappers spitting over repurposed K Records samples — sounds almost as precious as Gym Class Heroes name-dropping emo bands (yeah, they did that). But producer Smoke M2D6 of the Oldominion collective creates lush tapestries that ground agile verses from scene vets (like The Chicharones) and Olympia-based newcomers. Evocative snippets compel repeat listens on this respectable compilation.
—Sameer Rao
This Will Destroy You | B
Another Language (Suicide Squeeze) is this Texas four-piece’s finest effort yet, a brooding opus in which familiar post-rock soundscapes take on new life in this band’s nimble hands. A heretofore unheard sonic sophistication permeates the subtler parts of standout “Mother Opiate” and closer “God’s Teeth.” There’s plenty here to stir up something like existential disquiet, and you’ll feel it yourself when TWDY plays the Church on Saturday.
—Sameer Rao
Pianos Become The Teeth | B
Known for his tattered screams, vocalist Kyle Durfey keeps things relatively restrained on the new Keep You (Epitaph). This may be polarizing for fans of the band’s prior work, but it really lets these songs breathe and burn slow. Plus, it turns out Durfey has a lovely singing voice. For a band that has in the past relied on post-hardcore’s crashing peaks and simmering valleys, Keep You’s decidedly gentler approach and closer attention to instrumental space feels like a wise new step.
—Marc Snitzer
