Artist: Breathe Carolina
Album: Hello Fascination
Label: Fearless Records
Purchase: Amazon
Release Date: August 18th, 2009
Overall: 6
Music: 6
Lyrics: 5
Production: 7
The opening riffs off of Breathe Carolina’s sophomore album (debut for Fearless records) Hello Fascination mark a step in a different direction for the band. The implementation of real instruments in their music, moving away from the strict electronic beats of their debut It’s Classy Not Classic. Already there is a sense of hope for a band that has garnered nothing but hate from bloggers and critics around the internet, but it’s hard for a band to go from hated to loved in one day.
The opening track/lead single “Hello Fascination” has a fairly catchy chorus and strong melodies, but what really brings it down is the chunky screaming that doesn’t really fit, that’s where we find the tragic flaw on Hello Fascination. The singing is there for the most part, such as the ambient vocals on “I’m The Type Of Person To Take It Personal” or the pure gold found on the beginning of “I Have To Go Return Some Video Tapes”. Once again these two tracks are taken over by the chunky screaming that ultimately hurt and bring it down.
It’s not fair though to assume that Breathe Carolina aren’t trying to change some attitudes by their use of instruments in their music now, they are creating what one could debatably call a heavier sounding Cobra Starship. Songs like “Welcome To Savannah” and “The Dressing Room” are dance-oriented tracks that move along at a nice pace and contain catchy hooks with complimenting beats.
All in all there is a lot of progression to be done by Breathe Carolina before they can become scene-darlings. But there is potential throughout the album found in certain vocals and instrumentation (the acoustic ending of “Tripped And Fell In Portland” is wonderful). The possibilities are endless for this band at the pace they are moving creating music and hopefully they find their voice soon and the praise will follow.
I think your take on the band’s direction is based on a stereotypical basis. Generally screaming bands tend to take a melodramatic, sorrowful approach to their music. I applaud Breathe Carolina for bucking the trend. Their ability to perceive and incorporate a screamo based influence with catchy hooks makes them among some of the only bands to successfully blend such alternate styles.
I do agree that sometimes the screaming can detract from the overall tone of the song, which is a shame because the singing is quite good. I also submit to ur point that the band could do anything given the time. I do not think that they should be in a hurry to change their sound though. This could alienate their fan base. In the end we should not draw general conclusions based on their work. Like a piece of art, every songs tells a different story to different individuals. All we can do is trust the artists and for me this album is up there with many of my favorites. Good job boys, keep it up.
I personally think Breathe Carolina’s new album is fantastic. When I found out that they would be using actual instruments and taking up more of an electro-rock sound, I got scared that it wouldn’t live up to ‘It’s Classy, Not Classic’. But this album nearly surpasses its predecessor.
As for Kyle Even’s screams, I think they’re a nice, creative touch on the album. You wouldn’t expect many electronic/synthpop bands to have screamers, although it’s a popular thing to do nowadays. Breathe Carolina, although fitting into this trend, has their own unique sound which I highly approve of. Dance music and screamo music are my two favorite types of music–when BC brings it together, what you get is awesome beyond description.