Balance and Composure - Light We Made (Oct 7 2016) Album • Page 50

Wow, I disagree so much with that hahaha

 

I agree with that sentiment about Moose Blood, but it doesn't apply here imo, I think the choruses on this album are great.

 

Finally catching up on the last eight or so pages of this thread now that I've given it a couple listens and holy lol at thinking this band's main demographic is middle and high schoolers. Most people I know who are into this band are definitely in the high school and college/young adult range.

I'm almost 25 and this album is everything I ever wanted from them without even knowing it. Great vocals, melodies, and guitar tones. Love the rhythm section on this album a lot. Nothing flashy, but they lock in so tightly and really give these songs and pulse. I was swaying and grooving along to this album while I made myself breakfast this morning. Love this album.

 

moose blood sucksssssss sry

 

Backed hard

 

Every Moose Blood song I've ever heard has been very not good

 

it's weird that moose blood is big in pop punk kids because they sound exactly like sparks the rescue

 

Yeah, I'm frankly baffled at the number of people that love Moose Blood.

 

I will back Moose Blood. They have nice and shimmery guitar tones and they write insanely catchy songs. Sure, the lyrics aren't great, but the band has shown a ton of potential.

 

Theres a really rough recording of the studio version of revelation on youtube now. Wouldnt recommend listening to it, but it seems like a really cool song. Definitely album quality, although I think I understand why they kept it off.

 

I feel like as I've gotten older I don't have the love for a lot of the pop punk bands I used to. I loved Transit, TSSF, TWY back when I was a freshman in college but 5 years later I don't have the same love for the genre. I got so bored of similar sounding artists. I've always loved B&C and I think I appreciate the change in sound more than bands who don't. As much as I loved B&C old sound when I was 18 I'm glad this album is different because I probably wouldn't enjoy it as much.

 

I like Moose Blood but completely understand those that don't. Because they don't really do anything to stand out from the other bands in the scene and most of their songs sound very very similar.

 

I love their first record but yeah, that second record showed that they had almost no staying power. They're like the emo pop rock version of Man Overboard (I love Man Overboard, but that's because they seem to know how silly they are, Moose Blood does not).

Also, after listening to Light We Made a couple more times I realized that the real reason I dislike it is because for the most part, all they did was repackage their old sound. Trade out throaty yells for falsetto, crashing ride for straight riding the cymbal (or electronic drums), and clean guitars instead of distorted. There is almost no evolution in terms of the types of chord progressions (at least in terms of sonics, I have no idea what chords they actually used, they just sound the same) or vocal melodies. A couple songs buck this trend (For a Walk, Mediocre Love) but the majority are just older songs polished up to sound like a different genre. Sometimes this works (Postcard, Midnight Zone) and sometimes it's just boring (Afterparty, Fame). I'll give them credit for figuring out how to do that, but I'm not really that impressed.

I'm just really over that post-grunge, ripping off TDAG-era Brand New sound. That's a personal preference, I get that others probably love that sound and in that way I can see why you'd care about this record. I have my own tastes like that. I just don't give much of a shit about this record.

 

Is there anything they could have done that would have been impressive.
They changed vocal styles, melodies, guitar tones, and the overall meat of the songs is definitely the rhythm section.

If you don't like it, cool, but not sure what else they could have done to branch out.

 

Different chord progressions/keys for their songs. Explored different genres. Used even more adventurous production techniques (they didn't do too badly in this category). Tried different kinds of beats on the drums or created more intricate electronic drums (as a drummer this is easy for me to understand but hard to explain, sorry). Changed song structures to be less linear. Written better vocal parts (I get this is subjective). There is a lot of musical experimentation to be done.

I have come to realize over multiple listens that this sound isn't really for me anymore (and I said that in my last post), but it could have been had they done the stuff I mentioned. They basically made aesthetic changes to their sound without actually changing the core song structures and key/chords they used on their other records, minus a few examples.

 

I'm a big Balance And Composure fan, loved everything they've done. I'm working REAL hard to get into this record. I think it's one of those albums that takes a few spins to really enjoy. It doesn't have the signature Balance sound though, that's my issue. It's like they're trying too hard to sound like a different band like Turnover, Title Fight, Dinosaur Jr.

 

I'm finding that this is a lot like Hyperview in that it's a vibe record. I'm listening to this the same way I listen to, say, Sigur Ros or Explosions in the sky, where I'm listening to the whole thing through and enjoying the vibe each song gives off as they bleed into one another. Outside of Midnight Zone, I've yet to find a song on here that hits me as an individual "moment" like "I Tore You Apart in My Head," "Reflection," "Notice Me," or "I Can't Do This Alone." The record, when taken as a whole seems to be greater than the sum of it's parts.

In all fairness though, I felt similarly about TTWTWM until a couple of months after it came out when some of those songs hit me real hard while I listened absentmindedly. The harder I try to critically listen to records the more I get worn out by them and fail to find those "moments."

 

fame hits me harder than any individual moment from any of their other records, besides maybe fade

 

Imagine trying to sound like Turnover

 

it doesnt sound like theyre trying to sound like anyone to me, this is an extremely natural evolution for them.

 

That Turnover record sounds like a Real Estate album ghostwritten by the dude from NFG. Also it sounds nothing like this.

I sort of get the Hyperview and being "vibe records" comparison, but I think that's as far as comparisons go.

How Dinosaur Jr comes into play here, I haven't the faintest idea

 

Yeah not understanding the Dinosaur Jr. comparison at all.

 

This record is amazing. I don't understand a lot of the criticisms it's getting at the top of the page.

I think my current fav is Mediocre Love. His harmonies on it are so good, and the Hole in the Earth sounding guitar part helps.

 

This seems more like the band didn't make the record xyz listener wanted them to make vs the band didn't accomplish what they set out to do.

I see enough experimentation here that it stands out in their discography. Which is all I can really hold them to. If anything.

 

the last 2 songs are fun