Chin Up Chin Up

We Should Have Never Lived Like We Were Skyscrapers (2004)

Meg Reinecker

With the ongoing absence of Braid, the indie rock scene continues to suffer. Very few bands nowadays even attempt to mirror the sound that Braid so boldly portrayed. But allow me to point out the keywords in the previous sentence: very few. This is where Chin Up Chin Up eloquently enter the picture.

We Should Have Never Lived Like We Were Skyscrapers is a flat-out, feel good album riddled with two vocalists and haunting keyboards. The album's mellow feel and guitar tones perfectly represent the message Chin Up Chin Up is trying to convey: hope, "persevering through tragedy," and "the redemption of optimism." None of the aforementioned subjects have ever been too far from Chin Up Chin Up, as midway through the writing for We Should Have Never Lived Like We Were Skyscrapers, the band's bassist, Chris Saathoff, was killed in a hit-and run-accident.

Chin Up Chin Up took the tragedy and used it to fuel the passion for this release, and it shows. The positive message should be visible to even the most unenlightened listener. The album's first track, "Why Is My Sleeping Bag A Ghetto Muppet," presents itself as the album's most standout track, with its layered vocals and catchy chorus. Imagine if Azure Ray's breathy vocals came from a man; this man would be Nathan Snydacker and this album, We Should Have Never Lived Like We Were Skyscrapers, would carry the same, willowy effect in that of Hold On Love.

They've played with Broken Social Scene, the Appleseed Cast, and Pedro The Lion. They'll remind you of the Cure, the Rapture, Braid, and maybe even a little Mineral. But what they'll definitely do is satisfy even the most critical of indie rocker's ears.

MP3s
We Should Have Never Lived Like We Were Skyscrapers
Virginia, Don't Drown