posted 11/14/2008 (Fri) @ 04:07 pm

>>> Music Reviews

Loma Prieta - Last City (2008)

Screamo / Hardcore / Prog-Punk

Measured Once, Cut To Ribbons

cover art

  1. Worn Path
  2. Careful Subliminal
  3. Trilogy 1 (Sick Cities)
  4. Trilogy 2 (Planar Analysis)
  5. Trilogy 3 (Fall Days)
  6. Armor
  7. Bridges
  8. David Fung
  9. Script
  10. Last City

Screamo’s likely to be a dirty word for most music listeners. The new kind, anyway, co-opted by mainstream journalism to include bands more aptly described as alternative rockers that howl a lot. To an uninitiated parent, especially, the term itself even sounds scary. Hey, who wouldn’t be afraid of a guy named Bert vomiting on their child during a concert?

But what about what screamo used to mean? Don’t lose those earplugs, Mom and Dad—there’s a lot scarier stuff out there. Loma Prieta, a San Francisco born screamo troupe, stylistically abrade elbows with erupting volcanoes, and, at times, excellent Italian screamo torchbearers Raein.

Loma Prieta’s tone tends to be much more corrosive and noisy, unfortunately. While there are spare moments of reprieve (whoa, some singing at the beginning of “Last City”?), much of the album is an exercise in trying to drown out any nearby jet engines with tenor vocal cords alone. This fits the genre label in a literal way, at least, but ultimately, it’s disappointing. The screams themselves aren’t particularly unique, especially when held up against the likes of The Blood Brothers, for instance. The lyrics, literary and poetic or not, are entirely indiscipherable. The interesting instrumental moments, colored by shades of prog-rock at times, are overshadowed by dire, neverending howls. It’s like trying to listen to Dark Side of the Moon with someone performing Castaway self-dentistry the next room over.

Supported by terse, nervous cycles of drums and clean guitar, like the repeating motif in the earlier bits of “Worn Path,” the screams go a step beyond merely “coloring” the compositions. They ruin them. Screaming is a hammer—a useful tool when it’s called for, but don’t go swinging it around at everything like a damn fool.

They say a poor workman blames his tools. Loma Prieta aren’t poor workmen; they just haven’t gotten the hang of using their screams professionally. “Worn Path” is worth a listen, but only as a demonstration of the band’s ability, mostly masked on Last City, to compose.

Links

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Permalink | November 14th, 2008

4 comments on this article

  1. captain couragous Says:
    March 11th, 2009 at 4:43 pm

    you obviously need to listen to this album again. there is more than just screams going on here. there is an serene beauty that even dogs would pick up on. the vocals are secondary to what is happening a moody soundscape is unfolding before you. this album is a logical step up from the last ep. “they just haven’t gotten the hang of using their screams professionally” is something a screamo noob would say.

  2. Luke Rounda Says:
    March 11th, 2009 at 7:17 pm

    @captain: I respectfully disagree. While this record might make dogs bark, I doubt it would be for the sake of an underlying “serene beauty.” You’re right, the vocals SHOULD be secondary to what is happening, but they’re not; I feel that they overpower everything else. As for your “screamo n00b” comment—maybe so. FWIW, I love Raein. (And no, I don’t consider The Used to be “screamo” either. Just crap.)

  3. jef Says:
    March 29th, 2009 at 1:28 am

    i dont even hear the screaming anymore, just all the chaotic musical goodness. but maybe thats just me..

  4. bc Says:
    May 4th, 2009 at 1:19 am

    Perhaps you don’t have the ear or preference for good screamo yet. Bands like Loma Prieta, Ampere, Raein, La Quiete write some beautiful poetry; both musically and lyrically. Minus Loma Prieta’s lyrics…they’ve gotten better but still nothing special. I think the first step is to stop listening to the blood brothers…

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