Review: As Cities Burn - Son, I Loved You at Your Darkest

artist: as cities burn album: son, i loved you at your darkest label: solid state records released: 6/21/05 by: eduardo moutinho I’ve always been taught and have always read that clichés are detrimental to good writing. While such a statement does make sense, I’m sorry, but I just have to use one in this situation. As Cities Burn’s latest release, Son, I Loved You at Your Darkest, is a tale of two albums. Damn, that cliché works so well for this release. Son, I Loved You at Your Darkest at times sounds like unbearable mainstream filth and at other times sounds like exceptional post-hardcore. It’s frustrating. I think it also appropriate to state that As Cities Burn is a Christian band. Hell, they’re on Solid State for God’s sakes (clichés and puns, wow). The band’s lyrics seem to be ambiguous enough, but we all know what their intentions are. I was able to wade through the album with little pain, and let it be known that I get easily irritated by overly-Christian people. So yeah, listen at your own risk. With all that out of the way, I can now address the music itself. Man, this band has talent. Unfortunately, As Cities Burn exhibits its talent in bursts on this record, not one consistent groovy flow. This results in the annoying “good song, bad song” phenomenon. The album begins with the raucous song “Thus from My Lips, by Yours, My Sin is Purged,” a choppy and frenetic fireball of post-hardcore bliss. The song elevated my spirits which were then immediately lowered by the next two lobotomycore songs and the damn-I-want-to-like-but-don’t-like number entitled “Bloodsucker Pt. II.” Yet, my morale improved when I heard the thunderous chords of “Terrible! How Terrible for this Great City!” The entire album follows this pattern. There are great songs here, yet you have to wade through a lot of muck. Other highlights include “Admission: Regret” and “One: Twentyseven.” At its best As Cities Burn is sporadic guitar-driven post-hardcore with interesting song structures and competent screaming vocals; at its worst, the band is sappy singing segments, silly emocore conventions, and blatant emulation of MTV emo. I don’t know what this band wants. I just don’t think that you can satisfy both the diehard post-hardcore people and the Hot Topic frequenters by meeting them halfway. Ultimately, the band seems to be facing an identity crisis. I liked this album and I hated it as well. Yet, it gets a somewhat positive score for the potential that I see. I just wonder where they will take said potential. favorite song: “one: twentyseven" rating: 85%/100% listen to as cities burn