A Portrait Of An Ugly Man - Remo Drive: Review
are a Minnesota based emo band who got off to a pretty good start with their breakout single Yer Killin Me receiving heaps of critical acclaim. Dealing with a rotating cast of drummers and spotty marketing by their label Epitaph the band has failed to live up to their initial hype after two EP's and a second studio album.
Review By Lavender:
Yeah Remo Drive really grabbed my attention right out of the gate with a debut single that I called one of my favorite songs of the decade. Though even after this I enjoyed the bands debut record and the EP they followed it up with. Unfortunately part of what made their sound so interesting to me kind of evaporated on their sophomore album Natural, Everyday Degredatioin, even if they made a slight return to form on the accompanying EP later in the year. Even though I haven't loved everything they've done tracks like Blue Ribbon and Around The Sun proved that they are capable of great singles and while that is kind of true of a track here the record as a whole falls into the same exact pitfalls their last one did.
Lets lead off with what the album does right starting with its great third single A Flower And A Weed. The drumming is so punchy and hard-hitting while the track makes great use of its uptempo sound to create a loud quiet loud dynamic that really works. A Guide To Live By is a solid opener with dramatic emo tinged vocals that set a tame but reliable standard for the rest of the album. Dead Man has an instrumental that honest to god feels like classic rock worship but I think it goes over decently with the wiry Strokes style guitar work. The song also has one of the better hooks on the record with its group vocals and the only real complaint I have is that it goes on too long. The closing track Easy As That is another decent cut featuring a solid instrumental that at least gives the appearance of intricacy. The immediacy of the vocals particularly in the second half of the track are a nice touch to wrap the record up sonically and emotionally. My favorite of the non singles is The Ugly Man Sings a track that improves on much of the other tracks here with sharper vocals and a better hook. But the real improvement comes on the instrumental which is more creative than so much of these tracks and brings a lot of versatility.
The pair of singles that preceded the record are both decent track but they fall short. Star Worship is a just okay song that is carried by the emotive vocals and sort of catchy hook, with an instrumental that sounds to tame you could almost forget it is Remo Drive. Ode To Joy 2 is the most emo sounding of the singles but it lacks the raw energy that makes the genre so appealing. I think the song is decent from a songwriting perspective but I would just never return to it over other Remo classic.
If I've Ever Looked Too Deep In Thought is probably the worst song here as it's just relentlessly boring. Not only this but it ends on such a lame note like the songwriting here has never sounded so uninspired the track seems like absolutely nothing happens the entire time its on. Another issue that I have never really experienced with the band before is really cringey lyrical moments, like the Apple Genius Bar line on the already difficult cut True Romance Lives. Also I think the song The Night I Kidnapped Remo Drive is an admirable attempt at writing a creative and more thematic track but before it can even get to some of its more indulgent lyrics moments in the second half it looses me with and very rough setup.
Portrait is not the return to form I was hoping Remo Drive had in store. Despite once again providing some meaningful highlights the bands deep cuts have become far more dry and boring than ever before. Even though I believe in the potential of their change of pace to a slower, more dramatic sound what they deliver on this record doesn't have the songwriting chops of their early work. Maybe a more extended break would do the band justice because I'm not sure how may painfully average records I will turn up to listen to from Remo Drive. 5.5/10
Album Cover Review By Tyler Judson: This is a cool concept and while it's been done before, it's done well. The layering of it makes me question how it's made. Is it a photo or a painting. It's deconstructed well and keeps the integrity of the figure. The placement of the text works well and fills the empty space that would've been too boring if left empty. 7/10
For more emo parallels check out my review of Green Day's Father Of All here
