Suicide Note Too Sick To Dance (Forever Fucked)

I've often thought that it must be creatively restrictive to play in most metal or hardcore bands. There are certain technical and stylistic expectations that accompany most heavier genres that don't allow the average band much room for genuine experimentation and artistic growth. Suicide Note's Too Sick To Dance feels from beginning to end like the output of a band making music for no one but themselves and, in doing so, pushing their music to new heights. Suicide Note's creative spirit and general sound remind me of both the last decade of Louisville hardcore and the Fugazi-era DC bands. To me, these scenes have both always been about setting out to create something powerful while successfully avoiding the musical narrow-mindedness inherent in hardcore. Suicide Note's approach to songwriting and performing diverges from most of what their contemporaries are attempting at the moment in that the songs and the album as a whole have a very simplified, organic flow. Much like Converge, their intensity isn't derived from how fast they can play, or how complex the songs are. The heaviness and power of Too Sick To Dance comes entirely from the manner in which the songs were played and recorded. At their most basic level, some of these songs could have been fairly standard rock fare. The frequent presence of cleaner-sounding guitars and complete lack of blastbeats and breakdowns would normally limit the intensity of this sort of band, but Suicide Note takes the road less traveled and it pays off. Suicide Note's recording and writing process was facilitated by Kurt Ballou, a name that most fans of hardcore will recognize immediately. This Converge guitarist has produced many of the most impressive hardcore releases of the last few years and Too Sick To Dance can be added to that list. The album was written and recorded in under three weeks at Ballou's God City studios, and the incredible cohesion created by this is what immediately struck me about the record. For many bands, the long periods of time between touring, recording and writing can lead to creative rifts and loss of focus, but Suicide Note's method gives the listener a definite sense that these songs belong together as documentation of where Suicide Note was musically at that precise moment in their musical career. Bottom Line: Suicide Note isn't afraid to defy convention. While everyone might not be into the brief acoustic number "Los Angeles" or the Pixies-esque melody of "Vultures," most fans of this music should at least be able to respect the accomplishment this album represents. In my opinion, Too Sick To Dance is a solid listen every time, and each of its tracks could reasonably be your favorite, depending entirely on the mood you're in. Suicide Note's approach and output are both innovative and Too Sick To Dance is the proof.