Remember in high school when big ass dudes would ask you if you knew where the beach was, just so they could flex their muscles and say "that way"? I don't know if that made your underpants moist, but The Note is Bane flexing, and I am currently sitting in a puddle.
Has Bane ever done anything bad? Ever disappointed you? Ever left you in front of the elementary school in the rain, having forgotten to pick you up and take you to ballet? No, and that's because Bane is not your mom. Bane is two Aarons, a Zachary, a Bob, and a Pete - five guys who have come together to make your life better, more enjoyable, and full of shit to be stoked about - things your mother has probably never done if she's younger than sixty. Also, if you got dragged into mother-daughter pageants or father-son talent shows when you were younger, you were never excited about it, but when Bane comes to your city, you wash your fucking clothes so they'll be more able to receive the fresh load of sweat you're about to pour into them while dancing. The Note, makes me produce fluids in ways I never thought possible, and people, I am all over it.
"My Therapy" is not just the best song on the album, but maybe one of the best songs Bane has ever written. It is right up there with "Ali vs. Frazier," and has the same sort of momentum and drive. Bane builds huge amounts of tension in this song and then shatters your body when they go above and beyond all your expectations for the end of the breakdown. I almost cried over how good this is, because I was sure Modern Life is War's My Love, My Way was going to be the last great hardcore record. Turns out I was wrong and there have been several good hardcore records since then, but The Note - it makes me weep.
Just kidding, guys. I don't cry. Crying is obviously for pussies and people who never got picked up by their moms from ballet. Right? Not people who listen to Bane and hear "Don't Go" and say "seriously brah, this is epic." With lyrics like "I wish that I could spread my arms so wide that I could wrap them around everyone I've ever known and loved," The Note reminded me that I was going to have to check my manhood at the door if I ever wanted to see these songs played live. It's not just the lyrics that make these songs sit well with me, but also the way in which Bane makes you want to know how the song is going to end. One could call it musical storytelling to convey a sense of suspense, but that seems to imply a narrative and this is pure spectacle. Bane has magic fairy dust that will make you cry. I heard "When Armageddon's been locked and loaded, I will come back for you," and the fluids started to come again. Sure, there were tears, but also some other fluids that had me surveying my puddle like it were Lake Eerie or something. Fluids reminding me that (a) I have no manhood to check at the door and (b) I will have to change my underpants before going to the beach or the next Bane show. Seriously brah, this is epic.
