The Weak's End (CD - 2004)

Audio Mixers: Emery; J.R. McNeely; Zach Hodges.

Recording information: Blacklodge Studios; Spectre Studios.

Photographer: Kris McCaddon.

Emery defines an extreme separation between their screaming and singing sides on Weak's End, their debut for Tooth & Nail. Opener "Walls," and the similarly-arranged "Ponytail Parades" do occasionally burst forth with hardcore-inspired screeching. But the louder, crazier moments are tightly regimented from the tracks' normal baroque and dreamy flow. The definition seems like a conscious effort to make a strong statement while still making accessible, emo-inflected music. Emery doesn't really make clear what that statement is; they prefer to suggest that it's there before drifting into opaque lyricisms that mull over personal pain and a general world-weariness. "By All Accounts [Today Was a Disaster]," "Fractions," and "Note From Which a Chord Is Built" form an ambitious midsection for the record -- they're impeccably-paced mini epics, even if they don't amount to much in the end. Best might be "Under Serious Attack," which blends rousing post-hardcore emotion with weird jazzy interludes and a veritable treasure chest of reverb vocals. Those who think of Thursday or Spirit That Guides Us as wavering too much toward sonic experimentation -- at the expense of songs -- might like Emery's more subtle approach. ~ Johnny Loftus minimize