Bless the Youth
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| Welcome to Berlin - "...and it's Blinding" Label: Trash Tape Records |
One cool thing about the Screamo-scene is, that there are constantly new and young artists "entering". That keeps it fresh, while contributing to the unbelievable high and steady output of the genre as a whole. Screamo's the one safe pillar you can count on, nomatterwhat. I always have that meme with the battered house in mind, made popular (at least to me) by Miss the Stars. This one here! You could probably say the same about other genres, I mean Metal will never go down, that's for sure. But when it comes to HC/Punk there were lots of trends over the course of the last few decades. They come and go. Screamo's there to stay and evolve. Possibly 'cause peeps treat it like some sort of religion. The only meaningful religion, of sorts...
Screamo is somehow known for this young and youthful spirit, spreaded by ambitious people. They're clever, open-minded individuals with the heart in the right place and lots of creativity. Yet, sometimes a band comes along, that baffles me. A band just like WELCOME TO BERLIN.
WELCOME TO BERLIN is a three-piece out of North Carolina, that just put out their debut album "...and it's blinding". And they're very young. They began writing for this nearly two years ago, so they were even younger when starting this project. As much as I'd love to be the guy not categorizing people for something like this, I'm the exact damn opposite. But egad, that's really due to the qualities of this record. Their age probably wouldn't have bothered me so much, if their music would sound like pure teen-angst, but it's not like that. I'm not saying, that this hasn't this youthful energy when it has lots of it.
Though, what stands out to me is the intelligence and maturity of WELCOME TO BERLIN and their delicious taste in music, that seems to reflect on their own songwriting. I wouldn't call this pure "Screamo", at least not in the context of something like ORCHID. They have sweet Indie/Emo-sensibilities on their site, they experiment a lot when it comes to the approach at their songs and they head towards Post-Rock-territories every now and then. However, these tendencies mostly stem from their long(er) songs and their open-mindness. It's really not like these guys are playing the same notes 'til forver. On top, they're downright danceable in a few, rhythmic parts, albeit the name of the opener ("Dance Song") is more than valid.
In their approach they're very similar to FACED OUT, a band I already celebrated not too long ago, but WELCOME TO BERLIN are a bit more rooted in Screamo and Emo. HOME IS WHERE are pretty close too, as are MERCHANT SHIPS, MEWITHOUTYOU (circa "A to B Life") or old timers like MOSS ICON ("Reciprocator" especially) and INDIAN SUMMER. Their record somehow reminds me of the time, when small DIY-bands with no financial back-up wrote the biggest albums - with deep passion and tons of effort alone. Think of PORTRAITS OF PAST, FUNERAL DINER, CIRCLE TAKES THE SQUARE, CITY OF CATERPILLAR or -again- MOSS ICON.
WELCOME TO BERLIN's album is an album where you got to put some effort in yourself. The songs are vast and not tangible for a very long time. But you immediately feel there's something there and with each and every new spin, you get more out of it. It's the definition of a grower. What's nice is, that they wrote the record as a record, as the song transitions are seemless and that helps big time in making "...and it's blinding" feel like a cohesive work. Also the two interludes become an important part of the record with time, generally I love the sentiment of their quiet Emo-parts, they're just brilliant.
This record gives you a lot to discover if you're into Screamo, Emo and/or Post-Hardcore. So, what'cha waiting for?
Favorites: "Forward Invertor", "Reciprocator", "Dance Song".
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