You Had Me At Hello! – ‘Spirals’ [Review]
Ten years ago, I would have hated this album. Spirals wouldn’t be alone, either – back then I hated pretty much anything that wasn’t either super-raw or crammed with as many notes as a Steve Vai or Dream Theater album. When My Chemical Romance came along, I pointedly stuck my nose in the air and ignored them…while they became one of the biggest bands in the world.
Today, however, things are different. To my ears now, this album just sounds fun – not to mention full of songs that mix a mature approach to song craft with boundless youthful energy. It’s still not 100% my thing, but I can appreciate it far more deeply than I could when SikTh’s The Trees Are Dead And Dried Out, Wait For Something Wild was the exclusive soundtrack to my life.
Full-speed-ahead pop punk is the order of the day here, and there are plenty of textbook tunes on display. Echoes is a personal highlight – it reminds me of Tom Delonge’s Angels And Airwaves project – but Tonight You Lost is also up there alongside Jae-Star’s Reuben-esque opening moments and Build The Rest Of Me’s thick bass tones. The acoustic guitar-driven Yes, You Are is brilliantly tasteful and a sure live winner, and closer Over And Out Captain contains some very meaty riffs, veering off occasionally into early-Paramore-but-with-a-male-vocalist territory. All in all, a very worthy set indeed.
If you like your music succinct, direct, and to the point, You Had Me At Hello! are well worth your time.
Links / Listen
You Had Me At Hello! Official website.
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