Alternative energy
Posted September 26, 2008
By Nathan,
(NOTE: the rating has nothing to do with this review)
The end is the end… Or is it? The quartette from Columbus, Ohio called House of Heroes is determined not to sound like something else or be like anyone else. The band wants to win over people because of the music they write and the emotions they inspire. For a band whose career was suspect for a time they sure have the first part down: not sounding like something else. The indie rock band’s latest album The End is not the End is definitely complex and original.
I’ll be honest up front, I found the album musically incoherent and difficult to enjoy because of the awkward riffs and disjointed tunes, but there is no question the amount effort and complexity that House of Heroes put into their album. From the first rock song, “if you were mine”, it’s obvious the music unorthodox and it doesn’t get any more traditional with “drown” where the tempos switch from a Men in Black style to an odd light rock beat with bad background music. “Lose control” is a solid alternative rock tune, where the vocals are impressive and guitars riffs are reminiscent of Thousand Foot Krutch, but only somewhat. There is a hint of some 80’s throwback on “baby’s a red” which features light rock which is very showy; perhaps it’s very creative or it might just lack actual depth.
“Journey Into Space, Pt. 1” is disjointed but clever at the same time, with a deep chorus of voices in the refrain, and “faces” is just odd clearly deserving the title of ‘alternative rock’. The acoustic guitar driven “by your side”, is a great change of pace proving that House of Heroes are unpredictably unpredictable because the ballad is normal but still top notch with some southern hints mixed in. “Leave you now” and “In The Valley of The Dying Sun” are both alternative tracks which both switch tunes erratically while the solid rock “sooner or later” sounds vaguely like Anberlin, with a bridge that sounds like Capital Lights. Very little on The End is not the End is traditional it starts off strangely and it stays that way most of the way but House of Heroes really solidified their album as alternative rock with the final song, the outstanding “field of daggers”.
If you thought the music was complex the lyrics are going to make listeners head spin ten times worse. House of Heroes takes faith, politics, and life experiences and puts them into fascinating songs that are so complex that no brief summery would do the lyrics justice. There are some occasions, few but they exist, where the messages seem obvious and rather weak like “Journey Into Space, Part One”, “sooner or later”, and “if you were mine” which revolve around girl/guy clichés (but the first named track does stress commitment to his significant other). “In The Valley of The Dying Sun” contemplates Jacob boxing match with God (‘i wrestled the angel. to undo the curse. that burdened me all of my life. and for the first time i could see. that God was not my enemy… i’m living to shine on’); with such skillful song writing and good lyrics it’s hard to picture that same band writing “faces”, a dark and dreary song with no light at all.
A timeline that takes up space is World War II in “Code Name: Raven", a story song about a French spy who sees his homeland invaded, while no apparent theme or propose is clear the prospective is interesting and well written. “By your side” is set in the same time frame which focuses about two brothers drafted in the military. Move a few years forward and “baby’s a red” looks on the issue of communism and man whose lover is a communists, once again the man’s commitment is to be commended but the song does take a whack at McCarthyism a topic that is often misused. “Leave you now” is about a man who is ‘breaking his back’ trying to get to America but being persecuted by his homeland. Though it’s vague the meaning of “voices” could be awe at God’s incredible mercy (‘the ears of God hear everything. and he hears them still. every cry, every breath. in every land that i have slain, cause. just to save myself. how can God show mercy? i was merciless to them’). From the confusing “lose control” to the faith filled “field of daggers” (‘oh God. bring forth your colored beauty … i long to bring my father to glory’) The End is not the End is virtually packed with worthwhile views.
Their narratives are thoughtful; the music is original and compelling, but The End is not the End is just so strange and so much is unexplained that is it fair to call it one of the best albums of the year? I don’t know but House of Heroes certainly has my attention from now on. Whether or not this is one of best album of the year is unsure, but it is among the most notable.
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