Reviews: Elemae - Popular Misconceptions of Happiness
If you have seen a review not featured here, or have reviewed this or any other Engineer release yourself for your zine, please contact Engineer Records so we can add the review to our site, thanks.
PUNKNEWS.org (http://www.punknews.org)
Elemae's Popular Misconceptions Of Happiness is the follow-up to A Life To Be Defined. The album is full of beautiful and sleepy songs that coax a climax out of an ardent melody. Kamikaze's sweeping melody, emotive lyrics, and crafted percussion make it a standout hit, while "Soapbox Podium" rocks a little harder than the rest, a change in pace that feels natural and is an appreciated break from the softer emo rock (which, after all, isn't for everyone). "Country Pink" sounds like a midnight lullaby sung to an audience of one and "Happily Cinematic" nearly put me to sleep. "End A Year," in particular, has late-90's rock elements, something that seasons the entire album. Judge for yourself -- both "Happily Cinematic" and "End A Year" can be downloaded on the band's site. Overall, it's a real-life emotional record that shows Elemae has entered their Carlsberg years, making it a CD that may be embraced by those who also have, and rejected by those who have no idea what that means. Personally, I find this album has too much relaxed rocking out and too little power. Witness "The Fall Of Summer" for an example.
Under The Volcano (http://www.underthevolcano.net)
Elemae play a technically impressive and musically beautiful mix of Emo-ish Pop (think Jimmy Eat World and Farside) Dischord-ish Indie Rock ala '13 songs' Fugazi and early '90's Brit Rock akin to the Catherine Wheel or The Verve. While there are plenty of bands out there that are aping a similar style or cough up these bands as influences, there are remarkably few out there that combine the styles so well and have such a sensational effect on the listener. It simply comes down to this: some bands intuitively know how to write a great tune with an incredible pop hook, while others try and teach themselves how to do so, training their ears to 'borrow' hooks from other bands. Elemae fall into the former category, which is why they stand out from the bunch, and should continue to prosper within the Indie scene.
The Dance of Days (http://www.thedanceofdays.org)
Elemae (pronounced "LMA") hail from various parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. "Popular Misconceptions Of Happiness" is already their second full-length but their first one for UK's Engineer label. Elemae's music could be described as post-hardcore, brit-rock or blatantly EMO. Especially elder bands such as Sense Field, Chamberlain and Texas Is The Reason seem to be influences for these guys. As I am into all of these bands from the good old days, I don't see any reason why I shouldn't be into Elemae. 12 songs in 47:20 minutes. (th)
The Journal Review (http://www.journalreview.com)
Elemae laid the groundwork for its indie-rock adventurism with last year's debut, "A Life to be Defined." Less than a year later, this New Jersey-based, music-medium auteur has broadened its scope infinitely with the follow-up, "Popular Misconceptions of Happiness."
This 12-song set is a sharp, seamless production encompassing so many ideas, none of which are repeated. With such a sonic palate, Elemae is quickly differentiating itself as a discursive yet focused entity, bent on creating invigorating new sounds that reward with repeated listens.
It starts with the one-two punch of "Sleeping With Adrenaline," replete with boxed-in drum bashing, infectious energy and a raucous lead guitar, and the spirited "Disappointment Book."
As often as you'll get a "Worthwhile," with its open-ended bombast and stinging strings, you'll get something even more agreeable, such as the boundless space of "End a Year." Tracks like "To Heel the Sole" embody a hard-to-explain timeless quality, which makes it all the more special. Likewise, the squiggly, joyful orbit of instrumental "Happily Cinematic" sticks around long after it actually ends.
There's also an abundance of oddity and liberal instrumentation. "Country Pink" is like Western music in a vacuum. The roiling ease of "Soulsweeper" contains, separately or together, flowing acoustic, ululating electric and singing keys.
With such an abundance of talent and vision, why should Elemae confine itself? Let 'em go wild. Right now, for them, the possibilities seem endless.
Tokoloshe Online (http://www.tokolosheonline.com)
As chuffed as I was that a label sent me a CD, and as much as I love it, this was a bitch to review. If I was being lazy I'd go down the route of describing this albums damn good drum sound and deep layers of guitars with added experimental synths and organs although lack of immediate vocal character. However that would be ignoring the utterly incohesive and chaotic concept of this album from random photographs inlay design to the brave variety of genres this band plays with. Although my personal feelings towards 'genre' is negative, and I adore the way this album jumps from style to style, my poor journalistic abilities leave me unarmed for comparisons for this diverse collection. This second full-length release from New Jersey band Elemae (pronounced LMA) is a progression for them, and if the songs didn't say it themselves, that the five guys are very talented and ambitious musicians.
The opening 2 tracks of Popular Misconceptions of Happiness are at least in the same ballpark as each other with the powerful and catchy opener 'Sleeping With Adrenaline' cleanly leading into 'Disappointment Book' representing the modern-rock, kinda like Jimmy Eat World although I can hear a link with Jonah Matranga in track 2. 'Soulsweeper' caught me off guard, indie rock with organ? 2 minutes of classic-rock soloing before vocals come in? Acoustic ending with 30 seconds of wave sounds? Ok then. 'Worthwhile' raises the tempo a bit with the crisp guitars and drums making me think good emo rock with a technical solo thrown in on the end. A standout track for me 'Happily Cinematic' is a tongue in cheek title for a slow and instrumental ambient piece of music that precedes a sleepy indie acoustic track 'Kamikaze'. Possibly the best song in my opinion would be the loud and distorted 'Soapbox Podium' which makes me wish I did vinyl so that the awesome guitar feedback / snare battering build-up would open the second side. Obviously following the layers of guitar effects and quality solo on any album would be an aptly named acoustic and sombre 'Country Pink'. Yes, track 8 is a piece of country music. The next two songs display the extent of this albums genre range in juxtaposition of pleasant indie-pop 'To Heel The Sole' and the post-hardcore 'End A Year'. The 5 and half minutes of slow acoustic emo 'The Fall Of Summer' had to grow on me and I was just confused by the point of an organ-ified remix of the opener in the last track 'Sleeprise'.
Clearly with a record like this (are there any others?) it would be difficult to say you were open enough to love each track and style. But, as I found myself doing, if you ignore genre each song on this album is really well written music, with strong lyrics, interesting structures and really clear band-done production and mixing. Following the label press release, and having checked them out to confirm, I agree to a link in sound with bands Chamberlain, Sense Field and Liars Academy, but really this album is not scene, but a good alternative album that challenges genre. The blurb, ''something for everyone" was never used so appropriately.
CRAZEWIRE (http://www.crazewire.de)
Five years are past since then "Elemae" from the federation state New York their first album published. Starting from May 2005 the successor "Popular Misconceptions OF Happiness" stands in the shelves. After so long Abstinenz does not have one to be surprised, if or other one passes the plate, without giving their attention. However that would be unfair. For all for memory: Elemae make Emo skirt and swim probably together with colleagues such as Chamberlain, The July IANA Theory or Flyswater in a basin. Ambitioniert and abwechlungsreich come along them. Already during the single uncoupling "one notices Sleeping With Adrenaline" that behind this album quantity puts trouble and love. And this impression does not tear also with the TRACKS following on it off. From badly rocklasigen pieces to Singer Songwriter Country influences lives the plate of the most different inspirations. Like initially mentioned Elemae move in the Emorockfraktion. That means: Zweistimmiger melodischer singing, melodische of guitar reef with the pertinent text melancholy. Pleasantly the times hammondartige, times synthielastige key board works. Alleridngs one heard technically already matured works. That is not further bad in this category. Does one want authenticity? Gladly! Or does one want commercial pure productions, which possibly wipe the last Fuenchen away a character of the plate? Rarely until never! All in all a successful hear-worth album.
Delusions of Adequacy (http://adequacy.net)
This album challenged me more than any album I've heard in the last six months. That's not to say I liked this the most out of all the album I've heard in six months (that's not true), but it definitely has made me think the most. Popular Misconceptions of Happiness is a thought-provoking record because it challenges my idea that a good album is an album with an established sound, good flow, and album-wide aesthetics. Elemae has none of those three elements on this album, and yet, it's still a great release.
But how can an album that has ambient songs, country experiments, indie-pop diatribes, indie-rock digressions, punk songs, emo songs, classic rock songs, and just plain modern rock songs be considered good at all? Well, if each genre is done as brilliantly as the next... The folks in Elemae knew they were doing this, too; their art reflects it. They have a camera on the front, and the rest of the art is a collage of tons and tons of pictures. They're not building a cohesive theme anywhere, they're reveling in the fact that nothing needs to be perfect to be great.
Elemae busts out of the gate with a charging modern-rock ditty entitled "Sleeping With Adrenaline." I wasn't very impressed. Next, "Dissapointment Book" is a virtual tribute to mid-90s rock bands like Live, and while that's usually a bad comparison, this song is great and gave me some more hope for the album. Just when I was about to label Elemae a modern-rock band, they drop "Soulsweeper," a piece of classic-rock fury complete with organ backdrop. I'm not even kidding.
The eclecticism gets better: "Worthwhile" is a mid-tempo emo stomp in the vein of Thursday and Noise Ratchet. "Happily Cinematic" bookends that electric performance with (get this) an instrumental ambient piece. What makes "Happily Cinematic" even more amazing is that it's not only decent, it's the best track here. The guitars have life, the drums accompany perfectly, and by the middle of the song they're expressing a unique voice in ambient rock (think Unwed Sailor, except with better keys). I could listen to that track over and over, but by this point I was wondering what other genres Elemae was going to hurl at me, so I kept moving.
"Kamikaze" is an indie-rock song that revels in restraint; "Soapbox Podium" is a mathy take on modern rock that blows the earlier attempt out of the water. You can guess which genre "Country Pink" is, and the most American of all genres is fleshed out in all its glory, with an acoustic guitar, sparse piano, somber vocals, and brushed drumming. By this point, I had the feeling that no genre is outside of Elemae's vast reach, so when the charming, bubbly indie-pop of "To Heel the Sole" appeared, I wasn't surprised. Neither was I shocked when "The Fall of Summer" gave the album a somber, beautiful acoustic note. The only tracks here that aren't in a genre of their own are the hard-rocking "End a Year" and the outro to the album, which reprises the band's love of classic rock.
This album, aesthetically speaking, is a mess - a horribly uncohesive, herky-jerky piece of chaos that can't decide what it wants to be. This album is also brilliant, when songwriting is considered, because all of these songs here are excellent songs - they just have utterly no flow. Not one of their genre experiments falls flat in any way; the vocals are consistently good, the lyrics are consistently strong, and the band always knows what it is doing. In fact, Popular Misconceptions of Happiness stretches my boundaries as to what is considered a good album, and isn't that what the best albums do?
Pit Fire (http://www.pitfire.ch)
ROUGH TRANSLATION FROM GERMAN WEB:
The 12 singe are stamped the US-American volume of melancholy beauty, harbor however simultaneously enough energy in order to entrain the listener. As a remedy, the boys use thick guitar lines, that smoke the peace pipe with cheerful Traumpop, in order to rise in the next moment various player eggs as well as Synthies, Keyboards or other electronic Schnickschnack. At the same time they understand it prime to enchant all senses of the listener and to produce this incredible geese skin feeling. The texts are reflective and circle around broken illusions, disappointments and everyday life depression, that release one sometimes only heavily again. To be sure ELEMAE move at the same time far away of the healthy Usa mannerism become in a modern manner and interpret the term Posthardcore on its individual type. What compare to concerns other volume, comes me as the first Elliot into the sense, tightly followed of scythe Field and Further Seems Forever. Also with The Juliana Theory or Appleseed Cast, one lies drawer technical not incorrectly.
RESULT: pretty, probably doses melancholy album that misleads to day dream and for 47 minutes all anxieties, worries and tears wegspült.
The Dance Of Days (http://www.thedanceofdays.org)
Elemae (pronounced "LMA") hail from various parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Popular Misconceptions Of Happiness" is already their second full-length but their first one for UK's Engineer label. Elemae's music could be described as post-hardcore, brit-rock or blatantly EMO. Especially elder bands such as Sense Field, Chamberlain and Texas Is The Reason seem to be influences for these guys. As I am into all of these bands from the good old days, I don't see any reason why I shouldn't be into Elemae.
The Red Season (http://www.theredseason.com)
Taking somewhat of a break from their long line-up of hardcore releases, Engineer Records has brought together an excellent release for fans of Liars Academy and Fugazi. As a band dedicated to doing everything themselves, Elemae as produced an excellent sounding album out of "Popular Misconceptions of Happiness," an effort they recorded, produced, and mixed with no outside help.
Featuring layers of guitars, booming drums, melodic vocals, additional keyboards, synths, and other odds and ends, Elemae has a sense of melodic hardcore like Cross My Heart fused with other lighter rock sounds. Their initial track, "Sleeping With Adrenaline," is a re-recording of this hit featured on other past projects and numerous compilations. The full, and somewhat muffled, sounding drum set plays a large weight throughout "Popular Misconceptions of Happiness," the volume of this piece is up a bit high to give the excellent drumming work a larger influence than usual. The guitars are clear, crisp in their riffs, and well produced although the transition between "Sleeping." and "Disappointment Book" is somewhat odd.
Opening the second half of "Popular Misconceptions of Happiness" is a well done feedback intro with guitars slowly brought in. "Soapbox Podium" contains some underlying guitar effects which are reminiscent of older Juliana Theory while pulling numerous influences from Chamberlain. Featuring alarm clock-like choppy guitar riffs, Elemae smoothly closes this track with a classic driving rock-and-roll riff. Moving onto "Country Pink," an electronic track featuring acoustic guitars and added drum work, this under two minute track serves as somewhat of an interlude. Featuring twangy guitar riffs, Elemae has managed to pull in a broad spectrum of rock without causing utter confusion in track progression.
Moving to a close with "Sleeprise," Elemae has a good bit of innovative guitar structure that flows in and out with the drumming. Gradually becoming softer and softer, this track leaves you in complete silence and is an excellent choice for an outro. The mastering and recording is wonderful on this album; everything is clear and at the tone it would be, while the drums have a somewhat live sound just like on As I Lay Dying's last album. If you're looking for a good rock band along the lines of Liars Academy, then Elemae's "Popular Misconceptions of Happiness" is right up your alley.
Score: 8 / 10
THE HV SCENE (http://www.thehvscene.com)
Popular Misconceptions of Happiness was a tough one to review. Popping it in the first time, I felt like I'd heard the same songs from different bands, but when I tried to figure out who Elemae sound like I drew a complete blank. Honestly, I went through the music collection trying to put my finger on a similar sound and, though I found some stuff that was ballpark, nothing was the perfect match that I figured there would be. Apparently these guys pass as post-hardcore, but I think it's more of a marriage between the softer, more melodic alt-rock of the post-grunge era and emo with a rock 'n' roll attitude. Their sound morphs so often throughout the album that trying to classify them is like trying to catch a minnow in your bare hands.
The album gets rolling with Sleeping with Adrenaline, a straight-up alt-rock banger that beckons thoughts of alternative's mid-90's heyday. Next, Disappointment Book sounds like Further Seems Forever, although the singer's deeper voice and their unconventional harmonies give them a unique tilt on that sound. Soulsweeper's prevailing organ-toned keys and jangly chords give it a kind of western flavor that brings Collective Soul to mind and then the hushed tone of the verses gives it that poignant Warhead bittersweetness that you can almost taste by concentrating on it. The intro to the fourth song, Worthwhile, is another dead ringer for the FSF comparisons and then it enters that post-grunge hard rock vibe again. Happily Cinematic is an atmospheric instrumental track with a bright chorus that sounds like the experimental indie band Broken Social Scene. Kamikaze is a low-key song that eases the listener back into the standard Elemae sound with soft, less audible vox climaxing toward the more standard alt-rock, which carries over into the impressive Soapbox Podium. When listening to track 8, Country Pink, it's hard to not think of Wilco's twang. Track 9 trudges and then 10 bounces before falling into their most common sonic niche again. Misconceptions ends weak. 11's a sleeper that makes me feel incredibly restless to the point of wanting to kill/break something and then they bring it home with a compelling intro called Sleeprise that never turns into a song. cheeky bastards. I guess Sleeprise is their way of saying, 'Surprise! This song is gonna piss you off like waking up on a Monday morning!'
When they say "there's something for everyone" in the description of the album on the Engineer Records homepage, they're certainly not kidding. The problem is it's like a box of chocolates; I may like the one with the maraschino cherry inside but the one with beef jerky inside just isn't my bag. The varied assortment gives them a broader appeal, but finding an audience that will appreciate each song alone seems to be a daunting task. Popular Misconceptions is a very decent album, but it seems that Elemae's singer lacks the kind of distinct voice that could really launch them. Fans of .Trail of Dead and Sunny Day Real Estate could easily get down with Elemae, even though their music often isn't quite as interesting. I was gonna give them an 8 but the last few songs got me all disillusioned, so I'd say they're a solid 7.5 and definitely worth a look if any of that album sounds like it's up your alley and you don't mind albums without a solid flow to them. They were supposed to be playing a show in Port Jervis with the Matches and Punchline next month, but apparently the departure of their bassist has caused them to pull out of that one, so check out the site if you wanna find when and where they shall play again.
SELLFISH.de (http://www.sellfish.de)
{{rough translation}} ELEMAE still are me of their great 7"in best memory - and like that the joy was large, when more again more longplayer bound from new jersey its away into the sellfish.de editorship found. in the border area of post office hard core and indie celebrated quintett a quite self-willed adaptation of alternative skirt, particularly by that much the December ducks ' dischord' impact sympathy-scores to collect can the twelve songs stand in the tradition of TEXAS IS THE REASON, SENSEFIELD or QUICKSAND and has with the excited loud quiet interrelation more up-to-date emo outfits pleasantly little at the hat instead one packs its songs with ungezwungenen dynamics on, volume mentioned above too honours handed. "popular misconceptions OF happiness", meanwhile the second album of ELEMAE, one produced in the single-handed attempt pleasantly roughly, leaves to ends a warm sound to develop however nevertheless perhaps also because one instrumentalen much with, to atmospheric passages works which the formation some times like the small brothers from ELLIOTT appear lets beside dezent assigned samples and percussions finally even an organ successfully introduction finds into the work ("more soulsweeper"). oh: with "sleeping with adrenaline" is also mine lieblingssong of the 7"at the start result: "popular misconceptions..." a multilayered album became, which particularly at the piece enjoyed sense makes even if part the compositions trueful not directly at first attempt ignites: ELEMAE submitted a genuine class work here without consideration for any drawers! allude-tap is great "ton heel the brine". and, info. at the edge: ' have engineer records ' friendlier point also the marvelous debut from ELEMAE made again accessible and even if "A has life ton defined" (2000) somewhat more conventionally as the successors from the boxes rockt and the guitar a more central value, bound already here you made exception-potential unmistakably clearly as the further guideline assistance: the twelve songs are in approximately to compare with the paging phase CHAMBERLAINs from a hardcore /emo to a serious skirt-bound for me are veilful, why this outstanding formation still as if secrettap one acts both albums are clear recommendations for fans of all here in capital letter mentioned volume!
livingunderground (http://www.livingunderground.net)
So I'm driving to work on the highway speeding at about 90 mph listening to old Thrice and I decided to change it up and listen to "Popular Misconceptions Of Happiness" by a band called Elemae. Suddenly, I swear my speed dropped down to 70 mph and I was stimulated by this CD. I have to say it was hard for me to get into this band the first listen through, but this CD has definitely grown on me. The first track first grabbed my attention with its positive sounding melody.
It was clear that Elemae had many influences from older British pop bands as well as classic rock bands. I was certain at one point during the CD I was listening to Led Zeppelin mixed with The Doors. But something was noticeably different with Elemae. I deem it was how they collectively blended the styles of Brit-pop, classic rock and modern day post hardcore. The beauty of this combination is what sets Elemae apart from other melodic rock and indie bands. Their sound is one I have yet heard from any other band in music today.
I think what I love most about "Popular Misconceptions Of Happiness" is how each song is entirely different from one another. For instance, track 3 entitled "Soulsweeper" has a classic rock edge to it, but it features upbeat drumming and guitar riffs. The keyboard in this track is reminiscent of the classic rock era. However, when I compare this song to track 7 entitled "Soapbox Podium" I must say that this song is completely dissimilar. Soapbox Podium features a pop beat mixed with a post hardcore style of drumming. The guitar style is comparable to that of Weezer's Self-Titled album.
The song I enjoy the most on this album is track 10 entitled "End A Year" because I feel it is the hardest track on the album. This song ideally represents Elemae's uniqueness that led me to appreciate the album significantly. Engineer Records unquestionable made a great decision by signing this band. I anticipate more great things to come from Elemae as well as Engineer Records.
Jersey Beat (http://www.jerseybeat.com)
After a hiatus of several years, NJ's Elemae returns with an album of lush orchestral rock. When I first heard this band about five years ago, I stuck a "grunge" tag on them. In their current incarnation, the members of Elemae (especially the band's dominant lead singer, Craig Cirinelli) still worship at the altar of Vedder and Cornell; but if anything, the band's moved in a more prog-rock direction. There's something so brave it's almost noble about a band that fearlessly channels Emerson, Lake & Palmer on a four-minute instrumental in 2005; isn't everything these days supposed to sound like either Bright Eyes or the Strokes? Not Elemae: The tempos are never rushed, dynamics rise and fall like the tides, a thick electric organ often comes into the mix to dominate the mid-range, pushing the electric guitars to the periphery. Through it all, Cirinelli's vocals are always at the center of every song, so shamelessly romantic and heroic that the man should wear a cape. Elemae are the perfect antidote to the 3-minute garage-punk ditties and whining emo children currently glutting the indie landscape. Sit back and smell the roses.
