The World is a Beautiful Place & I am No Longer Afraid to Die ;" Illusory Walls"

 I have always liked this band but never spent as much time with them as I should have. These guys are almost progressive in the span they cover and wide cinematic sonics they convey, which is beyond the bounds of hard core or screamo. The first song is sweeping and emotive. The album sounds great I love the guitar tone the second song it is almost more Cure like. I am surprised by the addition of female vocals, but I am not sure the last album I checked out by these guys, as they are courtesy of the keyboardist who is now a member of the band. This brings a more indie rock feel to things. The effects on the vocals on "Invading the World." gives the song almost a Deftones feel. For these guys the minute and a half " Blank //Drone " is almost more of an interlude and is not the most fully formed song on the album. They need more time to develop the melody like they do on " We Saw Birds Through the Hole in the Ceiling" . This song flows but is also rather dreamy. 

The production quality of this album works in the songs favor as "Died in the Prison of the Holy Office" displays.  There is also most more of a Modest Mouse like quirk here. They wait til two and a half minutes into the song before exploding out. The drumming on this album is really great. If you can weave a song in ways, I am not expecting then you are doing something right. 'Your Brain is Rubber Maid" is a tease it has good sounds and melodies but feels like it is going to build into something it never does. ""Blank // Worker" is an almost folk tinged tune with Michael Moore inspired political lyrics. "Trouble" has more of a Death Cab For Cutie like shimmer to it. It rocks in its own odd manner. 

Going into the 15 and a half minute "Infinite Josh" I wonder so how much fat could be trimmed here, as it lingers going into the vocals. The first minute and a half is my first hunch. It finds them once again in a more Death Cab like sonic zip code, but more of the emotive balladry side of that band. At the eight-minute mark after they have been jamming on the drone of this song, I began to wonder how much longer they can draw this out and still work, as the song kicks back it it might as well be another song as it has a different feel all together. It finds its own drone to groove on. "Fewer Afraid " starts off with samples and ambiance. It's about four minutes in before the actual song beings to start. So, no this does not have to be a nineteen-minute song. I went to the bathroom and got something to drink and 9 and a half minutes into this song they are basically droning on the same thing, there is a shift, but with both of these sogns they could have chopped them up into a few songs. Aside from the long droning ending this album finds the band shining and is very stellar.