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offsetsunsetrecords-blog · 7 years

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OSR Monday Review: The Funeral Diner, The Underdark.

OSR Monday Review! Funeral Diner, The Underdark.

Screamo is such a difficult genre to discuss in my opinion, because it’s so controversial in the music world. I think that’s because it was defined incorrectly early on by tastemakers. So, lets define the infamous genre right here, right now. Screamo, a genre of music using short songs that combines musical intensity with willfully experimental dissonance and dynamics. Essentially, loud music with a lot of emotional intensity in a short amount of time.

Now that we’ve defined the genre, what happens when an artist breaks that mold and defines not only the genre, but also themselves? That’s Funeral Diner’s “The Underdark”. For almost an hour after pressing play, you come to find this record is a powerhouse of emotion, absolutely tearing a hole in the world with devastating emotional consequences. The instrumentals on this record are immaculate, but in the context of atmosphere.

The way the record is mixed lets all the instruments breathe and have their own sonic space. The bass twists and flows with intent, creating some of my favorite moments in the genre, and in the entirety of music. There’s a moment on the song “Collapsing” where the bass just works itself into a groove, with small ambient noises allowing you to feel isolated, one with yourself and your thoughts. Whenever I get asked to recommend a record in this genre, it’s always “The Underdark”.

Weather or not you’re a fan of this genre, or just looking for something to listen to on your next lonely drive home from work, check out The Funeral Diner’s “The Underdark.” I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

As always, thank you for reading! - Cody Constantine.

Next Monday: FREE (Ex-Have Heart), 2015 DEMO

#screamo funeraldiner emo hardcore

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offsetsunsetrecords-blog · 7 years

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OSR Monday Review: Thursday, Full Collapse.

OSR Monday Review!

Thursday – Full Collapse.

To describe something as “life changing” is a bit of a stretch because it seems that we throw that word more than it should be used. “Oh man, that burger was life changing.” “Oh man, the seats in my car are life changing.” I believe that there are very few opportunities in life that could be considered to hold that term. When I bought Full Collapse, it was somewhat out of genuine curiosity, but mainly because I needed another record for a buy one get one free deal at my local Hot Topic, which is the most punk place to find things that’ll change your life forever. The record I was interested in buying was Bayside’s third full length “The Walking Wounded”, which is also an amazing punk record that everyone should check out.

The thing that caught my eye about “Full Collapse” at first was the cover. The blue border captures the intrigue of the hospital chairs, or office chairs, or whatever chairs you consider the white seats to be. Another great design choice is the was the band’s name and the album title are designed. Not flashy at all, no big bold writing, just “Thursday, Full Collapse.” I love an album cover that doesn’t force you into an idea, but in other ways lets you imprint your own ideas on to them. To this day still I find myself looking at that cover with almost the same wonder and excitement I felt when I first purchased it.

I didn’t know that F.C. started with the instrumental “A001” and as I put the needle onto the vinyl and turned the volume slowly to its peak, I thought to myself it’d be neat if this whole record was just full of these little ambient electronica songs, and just as that thought had ended, it happened. The audio swelled to an almost insatiable excitement, driving me crazy with anticipation. Then two drums hit, my jaw opened wide and “Understanding In A Car Crash” was on its way to positively effecting my life forever. This is a moment that many people I know have heard about, and I will cherish it until my final breath on this planet.

The way that lead singer Geoff Rickly’s voice amateurishly and sheepishly cracks and wobbles slightly out of tune, always struggling but still hitting the emotion that is needed for the serious lyrical capacity of this record still makes me happy. These aren’t phoned in moments for sad kids to spend their money on, these are tears and anguish flowing through a pen onto the paper, and in this context, “the needle and the damage done.” This is the loss of love due to human means, this is pain and sadness but also the struggle of fighting to regain some sort of happiness after a tragedy.

This isn’t a record for the faint of heart, for people who just want to hear a simple song. On this record, Thursday tackle many painful topics, like the loss of a family member (Standing On The Edge Of Summer), the manipulation of history of the genocide of native culture to make way for settlers (Autobiography Of A Nation), and multiple points pointing to support of the LGBT communities (“LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE” On A Hole In The World, and also Paris In Flames). There is beauty in the pain of this record, a deep lush love of people and the world and compassion for everything. I’ve done irreparable damage to my voice from yelling along to A Hole In The World, or screaming “THE TIME IT TAKES, THE TIME IT TAKES TO LET GO!” at 3 AM on the beach because you’ve just found out an old friend has passed away.

This is THE record for me, the one that helped me through the most painful experiences of my life and will continue to do so. After hearing F.C, I could mentally move forward from my past, I could let go and be… happy again. Is that a lot of weight and responsibility to put on a record? Yes, but it’s the truth. I would have gotten here eventually, but F.C. pushed me towards it, because it taught me that everybody will experience hardship and troubled times, but you should keep fighting. You must push yourself to let go, and you will be so much stronger for it.

Thank you for reading this.

Next week: Funeral Diner, The Underdark.

-Cody Constantine.

#Thursday PostHardcore Reviews

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