Hogan’s Albums of the Week – 11/3
Time for another new music Thursday. I’ve only got three albums to talk about today, but if I’m honest, I only care about one of them, for reasons you will understand shortly, but I’m saving the best for last.
First off, Anti Flag put out a new album today, which is pretty cool. I’ve said that if one good thing comes from all this political bullshit going on right now, it’s going to be good punk music. And if anyone is suited to do that, it’s Anti Flag. I’ll level with you though, I haven’t listened to the new album yet, I’m sure I’ll get to it at some point. I’ve heard it’s actually pretty good, but after 30 years or so, I think I get the idea. So I’ll check it out when I’ve got the time.
Next up, Like Moths to Flames put out a new album that’s a bit of a style change for them. Some people aren’t into it, but I think it’s pretty cool. It reminds me a lot of Hands Like Houses, who, of course, I’m a very big fan of. We’ve lost a lot of the screaming and stuff, which has always been a hallmark of LMTF, but to be perfectly honest, these guys never struck me as particularly remarkable in that regard. They were part of that Rise Records cookie cutter metalcore trend that came out around 2009/2010, and they never really moved past that. At least with this they’re gaining a little bit of individuality, so I’ll take it. Plus, if you’re not into it, it’s not like there aren’t 20 other bands that sound exactly like they used to.
But the big one for this week, is Converge. Converge is my favorite band, I have two Converge tattoos. I do not fuck around with Converge. I would say there is no way that I could write this without being biased towards it being awesome, but that’s the cool part about only writing about releases that I’m excited for – it doesn’t have to be unbiased. I suppose the only way to explain Converge to someone that doesn’t listen to them is just chaos. This band is pure chaos and emotion, and it’s amazing. Kind of in a way that Dillinger Escape Plan is, but in the way that Dillinger is very calculated, Converge is very unhinged. And this album is exactly that. But in a different way than their previous efforts. The Dusk in Us has a different feel to it, Bannon’s lyrics are less vengeful and hopeless, but still maintain the sadness and depth that you’d expect from Converge but with more perseverance and growth. And musically, just… Jesus Christ, this album is just straight bonkers. This might be their best album since You Fail Me. In the same way that Anti Flag feels a bit stale after three decades, Converge is still pushing boundaries and feeling cutting edge. There is a reason these guys are my favorite band. This album is damn near perfect.
Favorite new music this week: Just listen to the new Converge album, please.