Monday, September 8, 2008

...Who Calls So Loud - ...Who Calls So Loud


...who calls so loud's self titled
Funeral Diner encapsulated a dense and nostalgic view of hardcore. Their seminal release 'The Underdark' was anchored by its dynamic songwriting as well as a fantastic drum performance by Ex-Portraits of Past member Matt Bajda. When the group broke up guitarist Dave Mello and aforementioned Matt moved on to a new project under the name ...Who Calls So Loud. Their debut definitely makes the fact clear that members of the band were previously involved in Funeral Diner. The record is a combination of thoughtful longing and intense build ups. While there certainly are a lot of similar threads connecting Funeral Diner and ...Who Calls So Loud there are also numerous key differences. First off ...Who Calls So Loud isn't as dense as "The Underdark" the guitars act more as melodic anchors than heavy distorted sound scapes. 'Sleep-like' plays out this idea when it breaks into a serene bridge featuring lush guitar parts with drummer Matt releasing a flurry of impressive fills. The band also seems to take a more introspective look in terms of the lyrics. Funeral Diner's lyrics most of the time came across as very dark and preachy words on the current state of society where ...Who Calls So Loud's don't echo accusation. 'Any Color I Want' encapsulates this idea;

'it's been years since i've stood on your porch.
several memories flash all at once.
i don't even know if you still live here.

attached is everything you've written me.

i've highlighted all the lies.'
...who calls so loud - 'any color i want'

If 'The Underdark' represented what the Half Moon Bay breeds ...Who Calls So Loud is attempting to portray how the members of that community were actually bred. The record as a whole echoes lost sentiments and forgotten peers. The music is desolate and while it is not as basic as a standard hardcore affair it feels human in how it gradually builds itself up just to fall back into a more appropriate section. Highlights of the record include '4.4.4.4.' which speaks on feelings of life's futility. The cycling guitar portions in the introduction of the track help slowly cascade the song into the rolling repetition of 'there was a presence.' The song has probably the heaviest section of the record when it expands into its conclusion which almost echoes the feel of a breakdown. From that apex of heaviness the record drifts into the slide guitar of 'Assume the Power Focus' which is such a startling shift in feel that it works excellently.

...who calls so loud
Complaints on this record are easy to assume. The band isn't living up to the complexity of their former incarnation, the sound is too typical for a post rock influenced emo group, the lyrical content is trite, etc. While there is some validity in some of these statements listeners should examine ...Who Calls So Loud's debut album for simply what it is; a continued development of the sound Funeral Diner was striving to create and in that regard it succeeds.


...Who Calls So Loud - ...Who Calls So Loud (2008)

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

do you have a link to the new 12"?

Jared Dillon said...

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?1gzyu8j3fdp

http://protagonistmusic.bigcartel.com/product/who-calls-so-loud-s-t-12-ep

to buy it

Anonymous said...

cool, thanks.

gabbagabbahey said...

that link's not the full 12" I think... it's too short?

anyway, the 2x10" is shaping up to be one of the very top albums of the year for me... I'm not exactly sure why I like it so much, but I think mostly because it's a really accessible sound as well as, as you say, a progression from Funeral Diner (who never completely grabbed me although I won't argue with the quality of their records, particularly Underdark, at all).

looking forward to hearing the new album, see where it takes the band...

Jared Dillon said...

yeah two of the tracks seem short, but the new record only has four tracks i know that much.

blend77 said...

definitely digging this and their new record.

my copy should be arriving any day now and I can clear up the info on the 12" but it did say 12" EP.. so they might have just recorded it on 12" for a fuller sound.

I got the La Quiete 12" in the mail yesterday. very stoked.

blend77 said...

oh, i hate to be one who corrects. but Dave plays in ...Who Calls So Loud... not Dan.

Anonymous said...

do you like gasp by chance?