Search - Smile Empty Soul :: Smile Empty Soul

Awesome CD from a great band

Sadistic Tony | south carolina | 02/06/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Very rarely comes along a CD that every track is listenable to. This CD is exactly that. You don't want to skip a single track, every song has an amazingly powerful message. Sean has a great relationship with his mother, and hes not talking about his parents in particular in most of the songs. Hes putting himself into other peoples situations and writing from THEIR perspective. Basically, hes making music that relates to peoples daily problems, from relationships to drug addiction to physical abuse.



Bottom of a Bottle: Good song the first 100 times you listen to it. Catchy chorus, and I've known people to cry the first time they hear this song because it relates to their lives.



Silhouette: A song about not wanting to grow up in his parents image because of all their flaws. Another good song, lots of emotion put into it, especially at the end when hes screaming.



Nowhere Kids: Pretty overplayed on the radio, but worth listening to. Its about kids whos parents spite them because they were "accidents" or "bastard children". Another catchy chorus, decent guitar work for an alternative band.



This is War: One of the best songs on this CD, whether you're pro or anti war in Iraq. The line "I'll blow your f##king head off for my country" is a really memorable one.



Therapy: Talks about the problems he sees with life to an incompetent therapist who can't help him. Not a catchy chorus, but worth singing along with.



For You: This songs about a person waiting for someone for a very long time, because they want to be with them again, but they won't love him back. Amazingly powerful song, I think we've all been in this situation.



Your Way: One of the best songs on this CD, talks about everyone trying to lead him down the wrong path when hes trying to find his own way instead.



The Other Side: The most powerful song, in my opinion, on the whole album. Its about how you think you're in a bad situation, and the grass looks greener in someone elses life until you actually live a day in that persons shoes and find out they have it much worse then you. The verse about boy being physically abused will really touch you, I can promise that.



Every Sunday: Decent track, catchy chorus that you'll be banging your head to. Its about all the hypocrites that go to church and pretend to be holy, then they go home and rape their children and have abortions.



With This Knife: Used to be my favorite song on the album when I was in a love-hate relationship. Basically hes talking about being in a very hurtful, pain-filled relationship, so he decides to "cut out the part" of him that "cares for her".



Radio in a Hole: Good mosh song, the guitar intro isn't that bad. Can't really decipher the lyrics, but its a good song for throwing up your hail metals.



All My Problems: Another one of my favorite tracks on this album, its about how hes got all these problems, and he KNOWS he has them, but its nobodies f'ng business but his own because they're not the ones that has to face the reprecussions when he slips up.



I Want my Life: Pretty good song about how crazy the world is and its dragging him down, and he wishes things would just be normal so he could live life peacefully.



Eraser: The only song on this album that I'm not particularly crazy about, but its still got a good message. Hes in a relationship that he knows is going to end soon, plus they're a total jerk, so he wants to erase them from his life.



If you pick up this album, be sure to download their 2 unreleased tracks "Finding Myself" and "Who I Am", which were on the Punisher and Spiderman 2 soundtracks."

Worth you time

Jordan | TX, USA | 06/23/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Smile Empty Soul's self-titled debut album is a refreshing sound to all the familiar pop sounds that are heard today. They have the perfect combination of hard rock and melodic tracks for an album that's worth listening to from start to finish.
Their lyrics are probably what stands out the most. They are very raw and passionate and have a sense of vulnerability to them. They speak about life and growing up. "And what did you expect a perfect child raised by TV sets" are some lyrics from "Nowhere Kids", a song that reaches out to a young generation who doesn't have a place. And the songs "Therapy" and "Silhouettes", among others, describing parents who force to much on their children. To the chilling "This is War"; not too many rock bands out there nowadays write about their political views and what's going on in the world, so it's nice to hear what some of the younger people feel about what's going on.
To go along with the bands hard, honest lyrics is an exceptional instrumental sound. Throughout the album their sound is very strong and unique. Especially apparent in songs like "Every Sunday" and "All My Problems".
Overall this is a great album to have and is definitely one of the best so far in 2003."

BUY IT FOR THE MUSIC AND LET YOUR FREAK FLAG FLY

Crabby Apple Mick Lee | INDIANAPOLIS, IN USA | 06/30/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Smile Empty Soul is a Nirvana/Grunge trio whose focus is of the "Mom And Dad, you suck and you made me feel like dirt" type. Indeed, all the hallmarks of this "pathology" are represented here:· Troubled youth finding a refuge from a grim life in chemicals: ("Bottom Of The Bottle).
· Wanting not to be like one's own parents and take up the chains of their existence ("Silhouettes).
· Hurting because parents and society will not accept the children they got as they are instead of the children they hoped ("Nowhere Kids").
· Resentment and anger at having to fight wars society picked for them to fight ("This Is War").
· Anger at being subjected to psychotherapy ("Therapy").
· Humiliation in trying to fit in ("For You").
· Refusal to conform to the prison life adults have prepared for them ("Your Way").
· The sad and dreadful certainty that every family is "f**ked up" in its own way ("The Other Side").
· Bitterness at the hypocrisy of religion ("Every Sunday" and "I Want My Life").
· Putting away the love one has for his parents so they can't hurt you anymore ("With This Knife").
· Find the love you needed but never got from your parents in another "nowhere kid" like you ("Radio In A Hole").
· Telling society they can take all their advice and criticism and shove it (" My Problems").
· And the pain and anger one feels toward his parents when they feel ashamed of you ("Eraser").Having come from a family that was "toxic" in many respects, I can sympathize with our singer's point of view. Actually, my family was far more "toxic" than most-far more than I ever have let my children know about. But after all these years, I can look back and note a confusion of effects. Two separate problems tend to get fused as one. On the one hand, there are the genuine issues we may have with our families. On the other is the ominous burden of taking on the expectations of adulthood. As teenagers, we tend to vent our frustration and anger at our families as if they alone were placing the weight of growing up on us all by themselves. It is only in retrospect we come to understand that much of our anger was misplaced. Now that I have raised three children myself and have been at the other end of the stick, I have become more forgiving toward those who came before me. Watching my own parent grow older and frailer, I have come to the startling realization that they were only human beings after all. They were never as "large" as I thought they were. Even if they had done everything right, growing up would still have been hard and painful.So why buy this record? Isn't the subject matter rather ugly? Hasn't this all been done before?Songs are quite a bit more than their lyrics and Smile Empty Soul play with a great deal of aggression and appeal for anyone who loves the siren call of hard rock. More inventive and fresh than most, this band just rocks. There is always a time for these kinds of sentiments in everyone's life. Even as a fully certified "adult", every once in a while it is quite satisfying to flip the "bird" to it all."