You And I

Item: Discography
Rating: 8
Author: Jim

Discography (2003)

Jim

Someone needs to rename this "Emotional Metalcore For Dummies" and ship a copy to From Autumn To Ashes. This is how it was meant to be done; it seems like a horrible injustice that this band didn't get more recognition than they did.

The aggressive parts aren't overdone, the melodic parts aren't overly wimpy, and amazingly everything flows extremely well. So what exactly did these guys sound like? Well, they mixed influences as diverse as Converge, Deadguy, Kiss It Goodbye, and Lifetime to create a really unique sound. They could lull you to sleep with melody, just in time to nail you square in the jaw with some chaotic hardcore. They balanced melodic singing and abrasive screaming, all set to technical, soothing, and heavy music. I'm sure this sounds all too familiar to you, considering a lot of bands are attempting this style right now. But you have to keep in mind that You and I released their first material back in 1997 and broke up around 1999. But in those short years, for better or worse, they influenced a ton of bands and set a watermark for things to come.

I really hate calling bands amazing, but that exactly what You and I were. This 23 song retrospective finally releases most of the bands out of print material from their first self-titled 7" to the "Within A Frame" CD and ends with three live tracks. While I can't really say this is a fitting end for this band, at least it's something. With the influx of awful scream/sing bands currently on the market, it would seem that these guys should be collecting some royalties from bands that imitate (and completely water down) their style.

With the end of You and I, members moved on to other projects such as Neil Perry, Hot Cross, and The Assistant. This might not be the big retrospective with loads of fanfare that some bands get, but it is nice for people to be able to get this hard to find material in on neat package. If you like bands like From Autumn To Ashes, you owe it to yourself to get your hands on this and see how this style should be played.