Crime In Stereo "Is Dead"

Crime In Stereo has come a long way in the last five or so years, growing from a youthful, bitter melodic hardcore act that listeners could count on to call out the lamest of music trends into a deeply personal and refined unit on Is Dead. While I don't feel especially comfortable saying the band has collectively "grown up" (that could imply blandness and a lack of energy, neither of which rears its ugly face on Is Dead), some might call it that. I'd rather say the band has collectively evolved and progressed to write richer, more diverse material.

First and foremost, Is Dead simply isn't as fast and in your face as the band's previous records. It's not so much "split with Kill Your Idols" material as it is "split with 2001-era Brand New" material. It's actually pretty tender, favoring heartfelt singing instead of shouting, and interjecting the generally up-tempo noise with a lot of softspoken, softly played passages and verses. While there's a Brand New influence that's hard to ignore, Crime In Stereo does it justice without sacrificing their character. Not-so-subtle hints of the band's past -- the whole first song, "XXXX (The First Thousand Years Of Solitude)," the speedy first verse of "...But You Are Vast," and the airy, Long Island-bred guitar lead in "Nixon" -- blend seamlessly with the band's newfound penchant for pop, creating something of a Lifetime and Brand New hybrid.

Sound good? It should. And it is.

Crime In Stereo gradually puts on the brakes, eventually reaching the relaxed pace, noisy reverb and industrial backbone of "Unfortunate Tourists." The minimal "Orbiter" is a near tear-jerker, with somber string picking and seriously fatigued singing. Both songs have fittingly gloomy lyrics, too; "Orbiter" repeatedly comes back to the line, "How could you do that to me?" And it makes me wonder how you could do that to him. These songs are unlike anything the band has done before, and take Crime In Stereo's experimentation to its extreme.

Is Dead isn't so far-removed from hardcore that hardcore listeners won't be able to identify with it, but it's not as exclusive as Crime In Stereo's past work. And as much as I love The Troubled Stateside and still enjoy Explosives and the Will to Use Them, I wouldn't have Is Dead sound any other way.

Try and tell me you would:

Crime In Stereo - ...But You Are Vast
Crime In Stereo - Orbiter

Get it straight from Bridge 9.