Why I Like It:
Straight off the bat, this has been my most anticipated release for a couple years now and I'm so flipping excited it's finally here!!
To be fully transparent, I really wanted to get a post out while there's still hype for chaos takes the wheel and i am a passenger because Awakebutstillinbed deserves the love. However, I'm still digesting this release and think it will take time to fully sink in (which I'm stoked for the journey). I've decided to do the post anyways because I've only been enjoying this album more and more per listen. Screw recency bias, I already know this is something that will stick!
Why the excitement for Awakebutstillinbed you may ask? It all has to do with the person that started the whole project, Shannon Taylor. This is a person that fully embodies the genre and scene that she's part, with passion and vision. I wasn't totally a fan of the band until I started listening to interviews she did (which she's done many). That's where her deep knowledge and respect for emo (and other genres) shined through and to be honest, taught me a lot. There was one statement that she made in an interview, which really stuck out to me, and that was about vocals; particularly vocals that can be hard to process.
Shannon mentioned that she got into bands like Cap'n Jazz from listening to them over and over, even though she didn't like them at first. Then it somehow stuck eventually and she became a huge fan. This is exactly how I was for Awakebutstillinbed. It started out as me not particularly liking it, but I kept listening anyways and then it clicked into place in my brain finally. I think that's what makes the music more special, the work you have to put into it to see past the initial aspect that is preventing you from enjoying it. Now I love everything about Awakebutstillinbed and have since looked at other bands in a different light, like Cap'n Jazz.
Four paragraphs in and I haven't even touched the new album yet, so here we go! Right off the hopper, I love this album and think it's an evolution in the band's musicianship. I'm going to steal a paraphrased quote from music reviewer Ian Cohen, which is that this is Awakebutstillinbed's version of Harmlessness and Goodness (if you are steeped in 4th wave emo lore this is a high high compliment). Honestly, he said everything that I was thinking and just listen to his take for a better description. I'll just add that this an album that you need to listen to from being to end, no shuffle. The experience is more fulfilling that way. There's moments that contain devastating anguish but then can turn into a cathartic rally cry for hope, sometimes in the same song. To be super cheesy for a second, this album is a ride, where the weather is a bit choppy but Shannon is there to navigate you through it. Then when you get to your destination, you realize the journey is something you won't forget.
PS- Fun fact I learned: Shannon does backing vocals, in my other top album of 2023, The Whaler. How cool is that!
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Highlighted song and lyrics:
Bloodline-"close your eyes, it's your only life"
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Similar bands to check out:
For Your Health, Like Roses, itoldyouiwouldeatyou, Your Arms Are My Cocoon
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Reviews and links to check out:
The CryFest!- Going through an emo playlist with Shannon
Newnoisemagazine.com- Review
The E Word Podcast- Interview with Shannon (this is where the Cap'n Jazz quote comes from)
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