Review / 200 Words Or Less
Various Artists
Touche Amore/Pianos Become The Teeth - Split

I’m going to say it outright; I love both of these bands and when I saw hints at this split popping up on message boards I couldn’t have been more excited. Of course with this attachment there is a huge build up of expectations and I can promise you that neither band disappoints, each putting up a song that is among their best forming a truly fantastic split and, while brief, it is among my favorite of all time.

The first side is Touche Amore’s and their song is called “Gravity Metaphorically”; surprisingly long for this band at just over four minutes and shows how they have matured in songwriting since their last full length Parting The Sea Between Brightness and Me. Vocalist Jeremy Bolm’s vocals come through grittier and this is a good thing. Starting off fast and aggressive, in true Touche Amore fashion, the song then progresses seamlessly to slow and emotional with brooding percussion and hectic guitar to accent the vocals and the power that comes behind the line “at least I tried”. This is my favorite of the two sides and it is a pleasure to see that this band still has gas left in the tank.

Pianos Become the Teeth emblazon the second side, this is their first release since the full length in 2011 titled The Lack Long After and the track is titled "Hiding". This song is, in sorts, a departure from the emotional and intense energy this band is known for; this song is something almost soft in comparison. The vocal strain is not around as much and is definitely toned down, but the beautiful poetic songwriting is prevalent and is showcased beautifully with the softer feel. It’s slow build to a dramatic end signified around the line “there’s no good in your eyes anymore”, this song is by no means a disappointment.

While this entire seven-inch is simply two songs, it does something special by having two fantastic bands both of which put forth excellent songs. You can tell this wasn’t a secondary project or an “extra song” release, these bands wanted to release something great and they succeeded.