From First To Last

Aesthetic (2003)

fatbrendan

This is a type of music that is hard to explain. It's fun. It's edgy. It's hardcore. It's poppy. It's almost everything that the punk world is all wrapped in one. Now, the question is whether or not this works. Well, in my opinion it does and it doesn't.

Some songs, like the killer first track Such A Tragedy it works amazingly well. The poppiness meeting the screams and the some what high pitched vocals that seem way too overdone as of late all mesh very well. But this doesn't work for them throughout the entire album. For The Taking is an example of this not working for them. It's not a crappy song, it just seems lacklustre compared to the calibre and energy of the first song. The harmonies are cliche and the production seems lacking as well, and is too long for the lack of energy and disappointing thought put into the song. Regrets and Romance is a solid effort, and changes paces very well; however the transitions from screaming to singing in some parts need to be polished. When Flying Feels Like Falling picks up where the opening track left off and uses an effective layering with background screaming and puts the singer more at the forefront. The final two songs are action packed with catchy harmonies and enough hooks to catch a twenty pound (insert big fish name here). In fact My Heart, Your Hands might very well be the best written song on this album with its nice hardcore breakdowns and heavy guitars.

These Florida boys have created a formula that can work for them. They need to harness what they've started and work with the good and throw out the bad. With their recent signing to Epitaph, we can expect big things from From First To Last.