Woe, Is Me – Number[s]
Generic: An extremely popular word to describe bands nowadays. I struggle with this. I dislike mainstream generic music highly, and I applaud any band that develops a unique and listenable (key word: listenable) sound. However, primarily in the genre of post-hardcore and metalcore, there are bands that I find “generic”, yet fun to listen to. Woe Is Me, the latest band to emerge from the scene in Atlanta, Georgia, is the perfect example of a band that I would place into the category of the “enjoyably generic”. Their debut album Number[s] is a release that will be both loved and hated.
The opening track is typical for many albums today, a short fifty second electronica- ambiance-with-breakdown intro. My first impression was that the screaming vocals were similar to Of Mice and Men and Attack Attack. Don’t let that scare you off, though. I was completely caught off guard when the clean vocals started on the second track “[&] Delinquents”. This dude can seriously sing. No auto-tune needed. There is a popular internetz term that I believe people would use, and that is “eargasm”. I’ve never understood that term before, but I guarantee you will be seeing it used by fans in their youtube and last.fm comments. I’m not kidding when I say I would compare his voice to the legendary Jonny Craig (Emarosa/Dance Gavin Dance).
What’s this? Jonny Craig you say? Well, I found out as I was giving the album a third listen (special thanks to Wikipedia) that he is indeed featured on two of the final tracks on the album, (“Our Number[s]” and “Desolate [The Conductor]”. If that doesn’t earn them a couple thousand extra fans, I don’t know what will.
However, the music of Number[s] doesn’t stand out like the vocals do. Breakdown filled fused with catchy electronica. I do not have any problem at all with them using this. This is their opening release, and that is what bands are doing right now. The breakdowns are heavy and will for sure get the pit going and your head banging. The electronica isn’t over the top, and is used well. The most prominent use of it is in the closing song “Desolate [The Conductor]“, and I really like how it is incorporated. Appropriately, they top it off with an impressive closing breakdown.
After Number[s] finished, though short, only clocking in at twenty-eight minutes, I felt very pleased. No, this album is not anything new to the genre. It is, however, very fun to listen to for those of you that enjoy a good head-banger. The bottom line is, they are good at what they are doing, even if it isn’t revolutionary. However, for me, the selling point of this album is the clean vocals, and that is why I am giving it a four.
![Number[s]](http://thenewreview.net/wp-content/uploads/albums/woeisme-cover.jpg)
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55 Comments
August 30th, 2010 at 11:09 pm
I love this album. So much. I think they do it MUCH better than most bands in the same genre (Attack Attack, I'm looking at you). The songs featuring Jonny are great and really show how amazing this singer is. Most of the time you can't tell which of them is singing what parts. I might be a bit of a homer since they are also an Atlanta native, but this is one of my favorite albums to listen to so far this year.
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Jonathan Anderson replied:
August 30th, 2010 at 11:19 pm
Thanks for the comment! I would agree, they do excel past them. I enjoyed Attack Attack's second album, though.
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AustinW replied:
August 30th, 2010 at 11:22 pm
I enjoyed the self titled. I feel they just…tried too much with that album. They should've tried to hone in on one sound instead of drawing on everything. But it's still a very important album to me because I relate so well to it lyrically.
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August 30th, 2010 at 11:11 pm
The samples remind me a bit of Alesana, which is one of my fave post-hardcore bands. Looks damned enjoyable
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Jonathan Anderson replied:
August 30th, 2010 at 11:13 pm
Alesana? Not seeing that comparison….haha.
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AustinW replied:
August 30th, 2010 at 11:16 pm
me either hahaha. They feel more like a metalcore Emarosa
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Jonathan Anderson replied:
August 30th, 2010 at 11:17 pm
exactly!
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Gabriel Pio replied:
August 30th, 2010 at 11:25 pm
*shrugs*
I got the vibe listening to Mannequin Religion on their myspace. Buuuut now that I see it, your point is better than mine. >.>
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Jordan Mahon replied:
September 3rd, 2010 at 5:25 pm
They remind me mostly of The Word Alive
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August 30th, 2010 at 11:23 pm
The first band that comes to my mind when I hear these guys is Of Machines, funny enough, seeing as how Woe, Is Me's drummer is Of Machines ex drummer haha.
None the less, I've been anticipating this album since I heard their demos. And as Jonathan said, It's not revolutionary, but it sure as hell is fun to listen to.
And indeed, Tyler, their clean vocalist, has an amazing voice. Also, Michael and Ben's screams don't really remind me of OM&M, but more towards Motionless In White. Still awesome though
Great review dude, glad to see not everyone is gonna throw these guys under the "scene" bus lol.
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Jonathan Anderson replied:
August 30th, 2010 at 11:30 pm
Thanks man! I can see the Motionless in White comparison…but I'm still feeling an Austin Carlile vibe to the screams…I'm not usually one to throw stuff onto that bus easily….cause I listen to lots of it haha =D
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August 30th, 2010 at 11:53 pm
Okay, so I HAVE to say it…but when you mentioned the legendary Jonny Craig, I seriously had to google his name and find out what band(s) he's in. I added (Emarosa/Dance Gavin Dance) in the review just so people like me would have an idea who he is. I'd hardly classify him as legendary, but that's just my opinion.
And with all due respect, this album makes me want to kick a scene kid in the junk. I am so sick of clean singing like this. UUGGHH
Good review though!
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Jonathan Anderson replied:
August 30th, 2010 at 11:57 pm
Haha! Thanks Jen. I have to disagree though….I didn't know of anyone that sounds remotely similar to Jonny Craig…until this band. He is a very talented singer in my opinion.
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AustinW replied:
August 31st, 2010 at 12:00 am
Clean singing like what Jen? He has an extremely good voice. I don't hear anything feminine in it.
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Jonathan Anderson replied:
August 31st, 2010 at 12:04 am
I personally don't have a problem when a guy can hit a falsetto. For example, Luke Pickett, from Her Words Kill.
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AustinW replied:
August 31st, 2010 at 12:09 am
Guys like Anthony Green and Craig Owens yes. There is a difference between falsetto and singing like a girl. It's sonically speaking just a difference in pitch/octave. Guys like Jag from A Skylit Drive, however, intentionally sing like a woman. This guy Jag is not.
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Jonathan Anderson replied:
August 31st, 2010 at 12:15 am
agreed. I am a big fan of both Anthony Green and Craig Owens, I also really enjoy Vic's, from Pierce the Veil, voice. I agree with you about Skylit Drive. I prefer to be able to tell it is a guy at least. lol
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AustinW replied:
August 31st, 2010 at 12:51 am
Please tell me you've listened to Isles & Glaciers then. That album they put together was amazing.
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Jonathan Anderson replied:
August 31st, 2010 at 12:56 am
Yessir, it's brilliant. Unfortunately the likelihood of them coming out with anything else is slim to nothing.
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Jen replied:
August 31st, 2010 at 12:37 am
I could strangle that chick…I mean, dude.
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AustinW replied:
August 31st, 2010 at 12:50 am
I remember seeing ASD live. I had liked Jordan Blake but was willing to give Jag a shot. Oh, boy. No longer a fan of ASD. I'd like to give him a swift kick to the vagina.
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Jen replied:
August 31st, 2010 at 12:58 am
I had never heard of them until I saw a video of theirs one day. I remember thinking "aww, poor girl is so flat-chested…oh God, no way is that a…wow."
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Paul Patterson replied:
August 31st, 2010 at 12:18 pm
Haha Jen, I love how you said that. Chick…I mean dude lol.
haha.
No, he doesn't have a male voice of dominance like say, David Draiman. But it's good to see that he has vocal talent and can add some depth to the band.
Obviously, you're an OTO fan. Justin doesn't have the most manly voice in the world either
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Jen replied:
August 31st, 2010 at 12:36 pm
haha Thanks. It's an easy mistake to make.
And you're right…Justin's voice isn't super manly, but then again he's not singing for the majority of the album either. You get more heavy vocals from Kramer, with Justin's clean vocals to supplement. It's not overkill on my ears.
Honestly there are times where the dude from Woe Is Me does vocal runs like he's an R&B singer (or either it's auto-tuned to death). Either way, it's just not for me.
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Paul Patterson replied:
August 31st, 2010 at 10:23 pm
Oh well, everyone has their preferences :p Although you are correct, Tyler does sing more than Justin does in OTO. But at the same time, I think it's just utilization of his voice, coinciding with the fact that he's a literal second vocalist, not a guitarist/vocalist.
It's kinda like In Fear And Faith, and their balance of vocalization. It may not be for everyone, but I like it
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Jen replied:
August 31st, 2010 at 12:19 am
Not sure I can describe it really. It's not that his vocals actually sound like a girl singing (like A Skylit Drive), they just sound wimpy to me. Not meaning to single him out either, because I hear a new band every day that gives me that same "yuck" feeling in the pit of my stomach. It's something I've tried to get over but just can't, and it kills it for me every time.
Honestly Lee and I tried listening to this album and The Word Alive's "Deceiver" back to back, and I couldn't tell you which one is which. To me, there is such a huge discernible difference between the clean singing here, and say, Shane Blay of Oh Sleeper or Justin Gage of Onward To Olympas.
Merely my opinion though.
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Jonathan Anderson replied:
August 31st, 2010 at 12:27 am
Agreed, I do see the difference between Oh Sleeper and Word Alive's cleans. Jonny Craig stands out from the pack to me. But, I guess I understand, you want a more….manly voice I guess? =D
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AustinW replied:
August 31st, 2010 at 12:28 am
Holy hell. You think this sounds exactly like TWA's Deceiver? Idk its funny how everyone hears something different. They sound night and day different to me haha. WIM has a lot more dubstep influence.
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Jen replied:
August 31st, 2010 at 12:36 am
Well, maybe not exactly the same…but in my music library, they'd be fairly close to each other. But it's certainly not my preferred genre, so I'd likely lump a lot of stuff together that you wouldn't agree with. If it's any consolation, for every 50 bands I check out, I'm lucky if I even like one of them. :/
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AustinW replied:
August 31st, 2010 at 12:47 am
Yes they are in the same genre technically. They just have totally different styles. And I know how you feel about that Jen. I prowl myspace daily for good bands. That's how I found The Browning for you guys
but that is definitely the exception to the rule.
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Jen replied:
August 31st, 2010 at 12:53 am
The Browning was a good find, indeed! You'd be hard pressed to find a staff member here to disagree with that.
Have you checked out Brighter Than A Thousand Suns over in All Access yet? Really good, in my opinion. http://thenewreview.net/all-access/ep-stream-brighter-than-a-thousand-suns-the-demon-haunted-world
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AustinW replied:
August 31st, 2010 at 12:58 am
Haha yes I checked that out the other day. Not feeling it. Clearly we have extremely different tastes haha. Don't pigeon-hole me tho. I will surprise you.
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Gabriel Pio replied:
August 31st, 2010 at 6:54 am
Deciever sounds epic imo. Just saying. Can't wait to get my hands on it.
Yes, I'm a big big postcore fan. It was what basically introduced me to heavier metal.
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Jen replied:
August 31st, 2010 at 12:07 am
We're from different generations, so naturally we'll disagree about stuff like that. Maybe we just have differing definitions of "legendary".
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Jonathan Anderson replied:
August 31st, 2010 at 12:13 am
haha fair enough! =]
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August 31st, 2010 at 1:14 am
Great review man. I love the term "enjoyable generic" hahaha.
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Jonathan Anderson replied:
August 31st, 2010 at 1:23 am
haha! thanks man! Appreciate it!
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August 31st, 2010 at 7:55 am
Scary, my review of the same album featured a LOT of the same thoughts you have going on.
Side note to Jen: Wikipedia is spelled wrong (Wikipeda), and you might want to add Isles & Glaciers to Jonny Craig's band list (it might become too much though).
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Jonathan Anderson replied:
August 31st, 2010 at 9:37 pm
Thanks for the comment! Uhm yeah…my bad on the spelling. haha. I suppose Isles & Glaciers could be added, but I doubt that project will be going anywhere, unfortunately. Their EP was brilliant though.
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August 31st, 2010 at 11:30 pm
I'm listening to the album now. I'm a huge post hardcore/screamo fan, its all I like to listen to. I'm liking this, but I just dunno if I'm really feeling it. Now to put it into perspective what I am feeling is the new The Word Alive and The Contortionist albums, both of those are highly enjoyable for me. This album is just so short!
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September 1st, 2010 at 9:58 pm
Right off the bat these guys kind of remind me of I Am Abomination, which I reviewed an album for on here. It's a generic sound that is often times way over-produced but it's one that I'm guilty of indulging in here and there. I like the term "enjoyable generic". I'm not one to be persuaded by people criticizing what I listen to (I live by the "if it rocks, I'll listen to it" theory) and have had my fill of "enjoyable generic". Good work on the review, Jonathan.
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Jonathan Anderson replied:
September 2nd, 2010 at 1:08 pm
thanks man =D
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September 1st, 2010 at 11:08 pm
Okay, gonna give my two cents…
I have listened to this album 4 or 5 times now and I must say I really dig it. It reminds me of Attack! Attack! meets City Sleeps, which is a cool combo in my opinion. With that being said, I believe that this band has one MAJOR flaw though. I am all about BIG production and making a record sound larger than life, but there is NO WAY that this band can even remotely come close to duplicating this record live. This album is so tricked out in pro-tools it's not even funny. Like I said, I still like it, but I feel that some people might check them out live expecting one thing and sadly (walking away disappointed) getting something totally different.
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Paul Patterson replied:
September 1st, 2010 at 11:31 pm
Honestly Lee, I have to disagree. It IS possible to pull of what they've produced, but it kinda has to be done in the background like, coincidentally, Attack Attack does.
Caleb puts all his effects in the background and they're played at their parts of the songs, so all the technical programming and stuff you hear in the background of WIM's album can be done if Austin (Drummer/Programmer) makes it happen.
Vocally and Instrumentally, they should be fine.
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Lee replied:
September 1st, 2010 at 11:41 pm
Paul that's cool….no worries. But I can tell you from experience that there is NO way to pull a lot of this record off verbatim live. The only way they could even come close is to use and over use multiple ADATs. LOL! Plus, doing it the way you say (with all those samples running), it sounds like it could come off like one giant mess.
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Paul Patterson replied:
September 2nd, 2010 at 11:27 am
I don't know man, Attack Attack pulled it off pretty decently the last time I saw them. I guess it's just gonna take experience on their part. We'll see what happens when they roll through
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James replied:
September 2nd, 2010 at 5:48 pm
I'm going to the WIM Album Release show tomorrow, so I can let you guys know how well they pull it off.
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James replied:
September 4th, 2010 at 11:26 am
The show was absolutely phenomenal. The vocals are astonishing, they sounded exactly like the album. And yes, they did pull it all off without error. I have never seen a band with that much crowd control.
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JamisonC replied:
September 4th, 2010 at 12:03 pm
I have to agree with Lee. I have seen these guys a few times and it's just not the same as the cd. They are very good live but they still do not sound like the album.
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James replied:
September 4th, 2010 at 1:11 pm
Well I'll put it this way. I didn't hear any screwups and at no time was it "one giant mess." and if you're saying this guy can't pull off the clean vocals live, then you are just wrong.
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September 2nd, 2010 at 12:20 pm
Alright, this isn't really my fancy. At least from the samples. But killer review bro.
Aaaannnd, the album art is phenominal.
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Jonathan Anderson replied:
September 2nd, 2010 at 1:07 pm
Thanks man =D
Yeah! The first thing I thought was, "That album art is wicked!" haha
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September 2nd, 2010 at 1:01 pm
After further review of these guys (as their album is completely posted on youtube), I can safely say that while the breakdowns are a guilty pleasure, this band follows the same darned format in each of their songs. Aggressive screaming section with super down-tuned breakdown, then catchy singing part. Keep switching those two for three minutes and you have a typical song of theirs. While this isn't a deal breaker, it makes the album really, really predictable.
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September 3rd, 2010 at 11:13 pm
^^ Agreed with Josh, their songs are pretty predictable, but I did enjoy this album. I watched some live videos of them and I couldn't believe how great their vocals really are. At least you're paying for a good show rather than seeing those bands who can't even keep their sound straight. Finding Jonny Craig in a few songs wasn't so bad either, their voices go together really well. One of my favorites was Desolate[The Conductor].. and not just because J.Craig is featured in it.
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September 8th, 2010 at 4:14 pm
I find it hillarious that everyone is describing this as "enjoyably generic" and "guilty pleasure", because that is EXACTLY what popped in my head after listening to this album. Incredibly infectious. They've managed to take an established genre and just write a REALLY good album within it. The clean vocals give me goosebumps at parts, which has only been matched by an elite few male vocalists (Chino, Nathan Ells, Paul Masdival).
I'd honestly give it a five if this band wasn't responsible for that train wreck of a cover song (Ke$ha – Tic Toc).
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