How has On The Might Of Princes stayed off my radar until now? This is the big question that I keep posing to myself after each subsequent listen of Sirens, OTMOP's third LP and first on Revelation Records. The music this New York quartet brings to the table is wholly fresh and original, but still in touch with it's roots. And I'm digging it, big time.
The band's sound is an obvious post-hardcore one, but with more twists and turns than your typical group. The band seems to have two personalities musically, each representing one of their singers. One singer spends most of his songs screaming and/or muttering ala Conor Oberst, and there's a big Gainesville sound influence on these tracks - maybe not as spastic as Twelve Hour Turn or I Hate Myself, but not as melodic as Hot Water Music. OTMOP treads that middle ground with pride, and it definitely keeps my ears open.
The other singer takes a more melodic route, especially in songs like "The Swell And The Breaking" and "They Have Teeth," both of which have a much more midwestern mid-nineties post-hardcore sound, ala that of early Braid [with vocals somwhere in between Ted and Tim of Cursive]. If one were to make a comparison to posthumous labelmates Texas Is The Reason, one wouldn't be too far off track, although TITR's songs seemed more focused on straightforward arrangements, whereas OTMOP's songs seem to shoot off into left field at random points, going into dancy drumbreaks and gutteral breakdowns galore.
The production on the record is just lo-fi enough, with a real raw quality making most of the songs shine. I can really get a feel for this band's live show off this recording, and I believe that's a good sign. The lyrics are as obtuse as you'd expect a band like this to be, but not to the point of pretentiousness. I find myself turning to the lyric sheet numerous times to check my lyric memorization, as this stuff does get stuck in your head.
All in all, Revelation has a solid winner on their hands, better than anything else they've put out this year. Recommended.
REAL AUDIO
Here Come The Sirens
MP3s
Here Come The Sirens
You Whistle, I'll Shoot
Here Come The Sirens [demo]
Go Fuck Yrself [demo]