#letlive #rockfile #newrock #theblackestbeautiful
I recently discovered letlive. (yes, that is how it is spelled) and wondered where have I been? This former "post-punk" band from L.A. is charting new territory with it's fourth album, The Blackest Beautiful, out today. After listening to the whole thing, I find this to be a very "progressive" rock album, mixing all sort of styles and coming up with something aggressive and new. You may not "get" it on first listen, but the best art is usually not the easiest to digest. Most retailers have it for $7.99, so go try something new today!
First video:
Full album stream:
From the last album, Fake History:
from AllMusic:
L.A.-based hardcore unit letlive. broke through in a big way with their 2010 album Fake History,
finally capturing some of the bone-breaking energy of their live show
in a way that translated to album as well as developing their
arrangement skills with atypical song structures and inventive expansion
of the sometimes formulaic post-hardcore sound. Follow-up fourth album The Blackest Beautiful takes the strengths of Fake History even further, offering up 11 tracks of technically dazzling and soulfully delivered aggression. Frontman Jason Butler's vocal twists fuel the fire throughout The Blackest Beautiful,
jumping acrobatically from screaming rage to tight, sophisticated
harmonies to frenzied funky riffing to emotively melodic parts, often
all within the same song. Beginning with opening track "Banshee (Ghost
Fame)," Butler's
lyrics are as inventive and thoughtful as the group's song structures,
tackling the complex topic of chasing fame and losing integrity through a
series of chants, screams, offhandish laughter, and smooth, soulful
lines. The pace never really lets up from there, with Butler attacking topics like corporate greed, racism, and the heavy weight of growing up in a broken home. Musically, letlive. are equally restless, moving through heavy, pummeling riffs reminiscent of Refused or Glassjaw,
while breaking into a groove on almost every track, sometimes even
melting down into acoustic sections without ever losing intensity.
Standout tracks are plentiful, but absolute must-hears include the Soundgarden-meets-Deftones
frenzy of "The Dope Beat," the relentless high-speed blasting of "The
Priest and Used Cars," and a brilliantly arranged critique of
corporatized health care and government corruption on "White America's
Beautiful Black Market." The Blackest Beautiful is not just more ambitious, interesting, thoughtful, and boundary-pushing than any of letlive.'s
previous work, the album is engaging and surprisingly hooky for any
record falling under the hardcore umbrella. Fans will be overjoyed and
those unfamiliar with letlive. or even modern hardcore circa 2013 should begin with this compelling document of anger, loss, and struggle.
Here is a great review: http://absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=3286991
Visit the band's website: http://www.thisisletlive.com
source: Epitaph Records
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