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RATING: ** out of 4
The build-up leading to "The Earth Pushed Back," the debut album from Baltimore emo quartet Have Mercy, placed the young band in a favorable position. The group had recently signed to Topshelf Records, the Boston-based label currently releasing records by some of the best acts in the wide-spanning genre (Into It. Over It., Baltimore's Pianos Become the Teeth).
Even more promising was the producer named for "Earth": James Robbins, better known as J. Robbins, the former lead singer of Washington's Jawbox and a forefather of Have Mercy's brand of melodic emo. With the right label and producer in place, the rest was left to the band to deliver.
It came up short. Have Mercy has written a serviceable album here, but it's also heavy-handed and far too reminiscent of older bands that executed the sound with more precision and refinement. The quartet joins the countless number of acts following the Jimmy Eat World blueprint first established with 1996's "Static Prevails." Songs abruptly shift from pretty, hushed tones to full-band, distorted assault and back, often multiple times in the same song.
It's a dynamics-driven formula meant to keep listeners on their toes, but instead, the results quickly become monotonous and predictable. Tracks such as "Ancient West," "The Gates" and "Weak at the Knees" (the last of which was first heard on the band's 2012 EP, "My Oldest Friend") all blend together because they lack distinct characteristics.
Singer Brian Swindle does something similar with vocals: Most of his lyrics are delivered in a comfortable, generic tone, until he explodes with a guttural bark that recalls The Early November's Ace Enders -- rough-edged but surprisingly harmonious. It does not help that the lyrics are mostly trite cries of post-breakup neediness ("I still listen to your favorite songs / wishing you were in my arms," Swindle sings on "This Old Ark").
When Have Mercy matches the right hook ("Let's Talk About Your Hair," another rerecorded EP song, is the best example) with its familiar sound, the band's potential and appeal are most evident. But most interesting is the understated alt-country ballad "Living Dead," the most affecting song on the album. It's no surprise that it comes when the band drops the formula completely. -- Wesley Case (Handout)
Timonium-bred pop-punkers All Time Low have a new music video for the song “For Baltimore,” (watch it above) an ode to the band’s hometown.
Set in the pages of a cartoon-animated high school yearbook, the clip follows lead singer Alex Gaskarth on a quest to catch up with his blue-haired crush, Zoey (think "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" without the evil exes).
As Gaskarth rushes around, we see some great shots of Baltimore staples, from the Inner Harbor skyline to East Mount Vernon Place to Rams Head Live masquerading as “Bulls Head Live.” He eventually sees himself as the guitarist on stage at a concert there, which is no stretch of the imagination.
All Time Low started when its members were in high school at Dulaney and Towson; the video shows how far they’ve come but also how much they credit their hometown for their growth.
The second single off the band’s latest album, “For Baltimore” is the 10th track on "Don’t Panic," which was released on Oct. 9 by Hopeless Records. (Read Wesley Case's review of the album here.) All Time Low plays Rams Head Live Nov. 23 with the Summer Set, Hit the Lights and Downtown Fiction.
Watch the video below.
