Review: Narcissus - Crave and Collapse

artist: narcissus album: save it for the birds label: abacus recordings released: 2003 by: rob tatum Narcissus’s third full length, Crave and Collapse, is a compelling release that may elevate the band to the forefront of the post hardcore genre. While the concept of combining hardcore and emo is nothing new, the combination must be perfect to give a band any chance of making themselves known. Narcissus appears to have tackled the task with ease. Crave and Collapse demonstrates a well developed sense of creativity and melody that the majority of post hardcore bands lack. The Ohio four piece uses solid musicianship as the backbone of this release. All aspects of the release are well arranged. The songs on Crave and Collapse possess an energy that is usually missing from post hardcore releases. The vocals, both singing and screaming, are very in tune with the music. My favorite part of this album is that nothing is overdone. There’s just the right amount of hardcore to appease hardcore fans and just enough emo to appease emo fans. It’s almost a symbiotic relationship. Fans of Under the Radar era Grade, Thursday, and A Static Lullaby will instantly love this album. I know I did. favorite song: "rush" rating: 89%/100% listen to narcissus