| I came to know Emarosa through much different means than the average band I find I enjoy. Normally I
would hear a clip on Myspace or see a band's video on Fuse before I do more research. This time
around there is one reason why I checked them out. Jonny Craig. After being expunged from Dance
Gavin Dance for questionable behavior, the guys in Emarosa jammed with him and liked the way it
sounded, so they formed and have come around with their latest album "Relativity."
First to all those fans that were upset when DGD cast Jonny out, have no fear. For all intensive
purposes this is DGD 2.0. While this is no growly vocals and the guitars aren't as manic as their
Rise Records label mates, Jonny's voices and the fairly adventurous guitars of Emarosa feel eerily
similar. And truthfully no matter how dicky he was, Jonny's voice made DGD's last record what it
was, and "Relativity" is driven by his voice just the same.
Now I wouldn't call Emarosa a copy, but I can't deny the similarities. On the other hand, their
guitars are original and feel like a breath of fresh air. I also found myself continuously looping
its tracks until people started asking me if my last.fm account was broken because I was racking up
plays of the whole CD. This album is just that good that you look past it's faults (which there
aren't many). Oh, and if you are looking for Jonny's nonsensically deep lyrics, they continue their
reign in this record as well.
While I may not like the way that DGD turned out, Emarosa is a fine substitute for your progressive
rock needs. Beautiful vocals, melodic guitars, charged riffs, and delicate harmony are all combined
into one to form this fantastic album. Looks like not all change is bad. It's all relative.
~ Pernell
June 27 2008 |
