AMS album of the week 23

The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die are an emo band. To some people, admitting to liking emo is somethingto be shared only in hushed tones to well trusted close friends. However, I’ve spent long enough in the emo closet, I’m coming out. Emo is the best. Some of you might be having a bit of a snigger about that: you’re an idiot. People who still think emo is all floppy fringes and self harm are missing out on a world of fantastic music. Listen to this album and you will find your entire world torn asunder.

Whenever, If Ever takes the calculated precise midwest emo of Sunny Day Real Estate and mixes in the lush landscapes of God is an Astronaut and the dynamic manipulations of Explosions in the Sky. It’s intense on every level. Lyrically, well it’s emo, so it’s, you know, emotional. ‘Pictures of a Tree that Doesn’t Look Okay’ is about a forest in winter, and it’s just beautifully written, the highlight being the line “A thousand frozen trees but still there’s something burning”. ‘Gig Life’ is the most poetic song I’ve ever heard about being on tour, and there’s plenty more I don’t have enough space to discuss. Musically, this album is also spot on. There’s always something extra to keep the attention, a violin here, a synth there, a little bit of trumpet over this bit, but even at it’s densest it doesn’t sound cluttered. This album took a few years to put together and it shows, every second is necessary. The undoubted highlight is ‘Getting Sodas.’ 7 minutes allows the post-rock side to really express itself, and that’s a great thing. This song ticks all the boxes. Instrumentally, it’s one of the most affecting post-rock tracks written in the last decade or so. The lyrics are just as good, the pinnacle being the life affirming “The world is a beautiful place but we have to make it that way” and the final “If you’re afraid to die, then so am I”.

I think everyone should give emo a chance, and this album is a fantastic example of the genre. It is the antithesis of the style over substance attitude of the likes of Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance. It is emotion and passion put to tape. So give it a try, and if you still want to snigger about emo then go ahead, but idiots should at least be well informed.