There is a band out
there that I am reluctant to review, or even listen to, because I have heard
that you don't really get them unless you see them live. I don't think that
would apply to Touché Amoré, but seeing them live adds a lot.
It's not that their
recordings don't sound energetic, but watching them thrash makes everything
more vibrant and alive. There is so much that is kinetic that you can only
guess at if you are only listening.
And, this will not
apply to most shows, but they totally won my heart by coming out in costumes.
It wasn't even just that they were dressed up, but they had a theme going on.
Singer Jeremy Bolm was a hot dog, drummer Elliot Babin was a hamburger, and
bassist Tyler Kirby was bacon. For guitar, I am pretty sure Nick Steinhardt was
the taco and Clayton Stevens was the fried egg, but I could be wrong about
that. I can say that the bacon and egg played near each other, so it was like
breakfast was stage right and fast food on stage left. I have some pictures,
but they are not great.
The costumes could
not have made performing easier, but the band was still so into it, and they
were having such a good time that it was impossible not to like
them.
I am not good at
picking up on the nuances for, well, I guess "screamo" works;
post-hardcore might be more accurate. So, I am not the best person to say
whether they are doing it right or not, but I know the crowd response was
amazing. They were not the headliner, but this was not just polite acceptance
of the opener. There were people in the audience who were singing along and
knew every word. This is clearly a beloved and effective band.
For listening, I
have listened to their most recent release, Is Survived By, more.
Standout tracks for me are "Non Fiction" and "Steps"
musically, but there is something in the lyrics that speaks to me on "To
Write Content".
They get some
interesting textures. Having gone through the entire catalog, I love the intro
on "Sesame", from Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me.
They played that at the show. I also recommend "Crescent-Shaped
Depression" for the guitars (great sound) and "Gravity,
Metaphorically" for the drums. These two appear to be singles, and recent
ones, but I am not sure how they fit in.
Touché Amoré
doesn't seem to have many videos, but the ones they have can be found via
Facebook and their website. I can't see that they have their own Youtube
channel, but they are featured on the label's channel:
Having a label -
Death Wish Inc - should put their music pretty widely available. They are
definitely on Amazon, but I was running into some gateway issues looking for
other things.
And, if you get a
chance to see them live, go for it.
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