Pianos Become the Teeth-The Lack Long After
Top Shelf Records
November 15, 2011

Due to a quick Google search and my faith in Wikipedia, I learned that Level Plane records isn’t a label anymore. That is sad, as it was one of the best labels out there for sincere scream music. Every band on there sounded meaningful and had something about them that really stuck with me. I loved the guitar lines, I loved the spastic drums, but it was the melodic screaming that struck me most. Pianos Become the Teeth, while being a bit more straightforward than Hot Cross, would have fit so well on this label.

The music is very emotional, with the guitars being the driving force, setting the pace for the rest of the band to follow. The drums keep the music together, setting tempos and adding an extra push when needed. The vocals won’t win any Grammy awards, but dammit I enjoy them. They are easily the main focal point of the band. I am super impressed with the dynamics of the vocals. The sound itself is so intriguing: sometimes sounding like it was recorded about 100 yards away from the microphone and other times so in your face that you can’t help but want to scream along.

At eight songs and clocking in at just under 40 minutes, Pianos Become the Teeth give the listener a lot of music to grasp. This is quite a ride, sometimes feeling like a roller coaster with the loud to soft dynamics that fill The Lack Long After. This is a throwback to a sound that was always a niche, even in its heyday. The best thing about Pianos Become the Teeth is that they do the sound justice.

Written by: RF
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