I've been catching a lot of recent press on the freshman offering from the post-hardcore power of La Dispute. Where the hell did these guys come from? Grand Rapids, Michigan, apparently. I recently picked up the group's first full-length, Somewhere at the Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair. A mouthful, I know. Also, a serious stab at the best any-core album of 2008, late in the year though it was.
SATBOTRBVAA is quite possibly 2008's most adventurous album, functioning as an entirely unique unit. While you can hear La Dispute draw from At the Drive In, the similarities are really only there in concept; the vocals are spoken methodically or screamed with a raw emotion, while the beat is consistently changing. Lead singer Jordan Dreyer is an angry poet, capturing a kind of ferocity I can't say I've ever come across in a lead singer. His vocals ooze with confidence and emotion, consistently following the tone of the music, leading the dramatic flow of the music.
La Dispute is just dark and strange enough to come out of the melee of post-hardcore wannabes with one of the most unique and ambitious offerings of 2008. Stand out tracks: "Such Small Hands," "Said the King to the River," "Fall Down, Never Get Back Up Again."
Hey, here are a couple of La Dispute songs for your aural pleasure.
Download 01-la_dispute-such_small_hands
Download 05-la_dispute-fall_down_never_get_back_up_again
"I think I saw you in my sleep, lover / I think I saw you in my dreams / you were stitching up the seams / of every broken promise that your body couldn't keep / I think I saw you in my sleep."
- La Dispute, "Such Small Hands"
