American Football - American Football
Released September 14, 1999
Steve Holmes, Steve Lamos, Mike Kinsella
Midwest Emo, Math Rock
Well here it is. My first Midwest Emo review. This genre had a MASSIVE comeback recently so what better time than now to look at the ESSENTIAL album. I personally have never listened to this album so as with all of the albums like this I will do the thoughts and feelings after I finish the review.
Thoughts & Feelings
Like I said, I'm coming back to this after I finish the album.
This album is very slow and not punk at all. This is probably what most people think of when they think of Emo. Slow instrument focused ballads with random vocals. This album sounds like a cross of Rush and Weezer and that's the best way to describe this.
Smash Or Pass?
Never Meant- Smash. Heavy Weezer vibes, which makes sense as they are the same genre. This is definitely Math Rock, but there is NOTHING bad with that. great opening track. I can also tell why this band is considered Emo, that distinct vocal tone and instrumental style is all here.
The Summer Ends- Smash. Theses songs are VERY slow but that's fine because this is a math rock/emo hybrid album. This song is great, a slow emo track with incredible guitar work.
Honestly?- SMASH. this song is a lot faster than the others so far. HOWEVER this song is MUCH longer at just over 6 minutes. The vocals are over under 2 minutes in but the instrumentals are great. First look at distorted guitars and the time signature here is absurd. This is probably the best one so far just from these great guitars.
For Sure- Smash. Cool use of horns here and the singer of this band has a very easy job, 2 verses in this song with no chorus. Again the guitars are amazing but at this point its expected.
You Know I Should Be Leaving Soon- Smash. This is an instrumental which I honestly didn't even notice from how few vocals are in the rest of the songs. This band is really good on their instruments so 0 complaints about it.
But the Regrets Are Killing Me- SMASH. this song is quite a bit faster again, this is peak math rock instrumentals with great emo vocals. This song sounds like a cross between Rush and Weezer and I have no idea why that sounds this good.
I'll See You When We're Both Not So Emotional- Smash. Speed up. not by much but its noticeable. Again the instruments are great and I can finally say that this singer has talent as its not just 12 words and a 4 minute instrumental. Great song.
Stay Home- Smash. Holy 8 minutes. This song starts with a 3 minute instrumental and the vocals have a lot of effects here. This is by far the most emo track so far but that's fine as this song is great again. Its just long.
The One With The Wurlitzer- Smash. another instrumental to close off the album, this one has some electronic aspects and more horns. This is a perfect closing track for an album like this and there is nothing wrong with it at all. Great album.
Conclusion
This is an Emo record. No doubt about that, BUT it is a very instrumentally complex emo record that really doesn't sound anything like the Emo we are all used to (MCR, AFI, etc.) This is Midwest Emo and that's the only way to describe it. Personally not my favorite but no real complaints, its just too slow for me.
RANK: B+
That was uneventful. I just wanted to try something new before I go back into Panic! mode for the next reviews. Shoutout to my friend Hayden, I know he likes Midwest Emo so hope he likes the review. Any feedback is welcome and appreciated, thanks for reading.
-Jake (JunosBestFriend)
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