Artist:
Title:
Memento Mori
Type:
Album
Released:
10 Nov 2009 (US), 09 Nov 2009 (UK)
LTTM Rating:
Your Rating:
Review
It felt like a real treat to have the opportunity to review this album. I've been wondering around for the last couple of days with heavy, rocky riffs pouring from my earphones. Some old ladies have been clearly confused - unable to decide whether to be frightened of the loud music man or ask him for directions, since he looks so nice and official.
I have been a little bit worried that some people might think I'm listening to Miley Cyrus or a similar little girl pop-rocker. This is because the distortion of the music through...
Read More It felt like a real treat to have the opportunity to review this album. I've been wondering around for the last couple of days with heavy, rocky riffs pouring from my earphones. Some old ladies have been clearly confused - unable to decide whether to be frightened of the loud music man or ask him for directions, since he looks so nice and official.
I have been a little bit worried that some people might think I'm listening to Miley Cyrus or a similar little girl pop-rocker. This is because the distortion of the music through my ears and excessive hair probably renders anything but the girlie vocals and heavy guitars impossible to hear, but I think I've gotten away with it.
It would be especially sad if people had made that particular mistake because Flyleaf are emphatically not little girl pop-rock. They are often compared to bands like Paramore or Evanescence, largely because of their female vocalists. I would personally say they're less 'Nu Metal' than Evanescence and hold more in common with the more traditional grunge scene, with emphasis on good, old fashioned musicianship. However, labels have pretty much defined Flyleaf's career, with the whole sacred/secular, Christian/mainstream argument going on. It would probably be healthier to simply call this music and let that speak for itself.
Heavy, distorted guitar, with deep, rumbling bass is the first sound to register on this album and the discourse between this skilful, deep, strong instrumentation and the focus on lyrical work (delivered by one of the most hard working vocalists I've heard in a while) seems to define the album in some ways. The first few tracks are driving, powerful, sonic attacks, perhaps reminiscent of P.O.D. I'm really impressed with the musicality of the album, especially on these tracks - there's complexity here to hold the listener's interest.
After a few tracks, the emphasis seems to change, with the vocal being far more of a focus. This leads to a sound that seems more pop-inspired and marketable. However, the lead singer, Lacey Mosley's vocal talents stand up well to the scrutiny that this invites. She takes the songs from the most intimate times to momentous passion incredibly effectively. The more 'mainstream' sound on these songs reaches its height on Tiny Heart, where the song sounds more like something from a late nineties Brit-pop band than hard rock, which isn't a problem - for me at least.
Lyrically, Flyleaf have something interesting to offer. They combine the wider subject matter and the turmoil of some heavier rock acts with a gospel focus. Again is a great example of this: 'Here you are down on your knees again, Trying to find air to breathe again, Only surrender will help you now, I love you please see and believe again'. Yes, there is teen angst aplenty, but I would argue that this represents realism, as opposed to the eternally joyful Christian pop songs that are ten-a-penny on the market.
In all, I would say that this album misses a couple of tricks - its poppy affectations will be too much for many rock listeners, despite the brilliance of the more traditional hard rock tracks; while the Christian lyrics will count it out of the mainstream charts (at least in the UK), despite the imaginative lyrical intricacies. However, I wouldn't say that the album loses anything for the objective listener on these points, which makes it a brilliant piece of work in my book.
Review by Jon Piper
LTTM Rating 4.5 out of 5 Stars
Standout Tracks
Again
Swept Away
Missing
