Staggeringly refreshing
leopold | 09/25/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"this record is a diamond. it's a lovely work of art.
I must say that hell songs took me by surprise. and quite drastically. this record is pretty different from canada songs.
Upon my first listening of "fiery" on daughters' myspace page, I was somewhat turned off by the vocal stylings, which I have now come to love. so wonderfully refreshing. who else is doing something even remotely like this?
I happen to be quite attracted to originality, and daughters have carved out a very distinct sound for themselves (even more so) on this record. the lyrics are very humorous and full of character and delivered brialliantly, considered they are sung (if you could call it that) over music with no harmonic basis. the shreds of melody are intregrated very well with scarce use of horns and strings on top of twin guitars.
also to my liking, this record sounds very clear and is extremely well recorded, capturing the insanity of daughters' music, which has progressed considerably. songs seem more organized and memorable after only one or two listens, almost possesing a catchy quality while still retaining the chaos and brutality of daughters' completely atonal deluges of sound.
daughters have also stepped things up technically. this album contains much less repetition of riffs that I noticed happening quite often on canada songs.
the guitar interaction is brilliant; i haven't heard anyone else play like this. the music sounds extremely precise and expertley calculated. the bass takes a very active role, which is nice considering that the bass is often lost in this genre (I am speaking very generally here).
need I say anything about the drums? Perfect, precise interaction with the guitars; the entire blend creates a new brand of heaviness. at times, this record has a fun dance egde.
I had heard so many negative things from old fans considering the new vocal style on this record. I would like to say that I respect daughters for defying the staple vocal stlye of heavy music and doing something that they can call their own. yes, I do miss the screaming like everyone else, but I am perfectly happy with the vocals on hell songs.
overall, this is a phenomenal record. I have not one complaint.
well packaged with great artwork layout."
Hows This For "Screamo"
D. Miller | Grand Rapids, MI | 09/21/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Daughters! Tore the roof off with their debut album 'Canada Songs' An epic of something very new & original in the world of underground intense music. Either enshrined or detested one thing was for sure: Daughters! made a dent.
I personally think they are their own musical miscreation, as if a demented serial killer genius got wasted and decided to make a hardcore band. But many found it easy to categorize them as "Grind" or "Screamo". But with Hell Songs Daughters! proudly maim the mere idea of being categorized, and they do it with thrashing glory. Form the opening semi-intoxicated crooning of frontman Lex, you can tell your in for something very bizarre. After the first few tracks you either be shell shocked or disgusted. I was somewhere along the latter. Then I realized, Daughters! have created an almost uncomprehensible cacaphony of sounds & textures like I've never heard. Thats damn impressive coming from a "screamo" band. Each musician has proven their genius, each one more relentlessly psychotic then the next. They even descend lightly into horns and strings, which blend nicely with the montage of noisy bliss. The highlight for me was the double-bass heroism of the drummer, truly unreal. The lyrics are also a bit more poetic then the first couple releases. Still are tragically demented and always humorous but on a whole very authenticlly crafted. While yes the album on a whole is downright insane, it's still bodacious and quite original, and rarely ever loses it's headbanger essence.
The biggest complaint I've heard about this album is that the frontman isn't screaming. I found that pretty ironic; a million kids will listen to a man wretch into a microphone but suddenly hiss at a frontman who decides to do something different? Don't get me wrong, I love inaudible screeching as much as the next hardcore kid. But i'm always fascinated by what good bands are doing, and Daughters!are an amazing outfit.
Overall, this album proves that Daughters! are truly one of the most in your face strange but amazing intense bands out today. and they CANNOT be categorized by any means anymore ( thank god )
Truly the most bizarrely staggeringly heavy album to come out this year.
If you are open-minded to talented and original musicians who don't mind offending while impressing, I urge you to buy this album, then buy Canada Songs just to feel better about yourself
Love Is A Disgusting Thing"
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1