AlbumsNovember 29, 201118,991 views

Have Heart Songs To Scream At The Sun


Songs To Scream At The Sun
01. The Same Son 02. Bostons 03. Pave Paradise 04. On The Bird In The Cage 05. Brotherly Love 06. No Roses, No Skies 07. The Taste of the Floor 08. Reflections 09. Hard Bark on the Family Tree 10. The Same Sun
2008 Bridge Nine Records
Our score 5

by Cory
7/21/2008

It's only their sophomore album, but Boston's Have Heart are already having a pretty serious identity crisis. They made a name for themselves playing relatively straight forward youth crew hardcore with a 90's edge, but their new material stretches for something more. It's apparently not enough for these guys to be an awesome hardcore band, they felt the all too common pull to "transcend the boundaries" of hardcore. Some bands can pull this sort of thing off and some would be better served sticking to what they do best. Have Heart haven't quite fallen off entirely here, but Songs To Scream At The Sun definitely doesn't match the intensity or quality of The Things We Carry. The first apparent step to becoming a more "creative" hardcore band is playing pretty much everything just a little bit slower and making the guitar work as sparse as possible. It certainly worked for Modern Life Is War and Blacklisted so why not, right Here's why not: Because the majority of these songs feel less like a punch in the face and more like a soft tap on the shoulder. There's nothing wrong with many of these tracks per se, but this record lacks all of the impact of Have Heart's first full-length. I lost track of how many songs feature a part where the guitar dropped out (or at least down to single notes ringing out) while a simple bass line and hi-hat tried to make the vocals seem more intense. In their attempt to become less formulaic, Have Heart simply traded one formula (that worked quite well, for the record) for one that just doesn't fit them. The lyric sheet is a great metaphor for the band's supposed maturity, neatly displaying the band's lyrics as poetry but omitting all of the profanity, as if certain words are fine to sing but not sophisticated enough to appear on paper. It's as if these guys are trying their hardest to prove that they're more than just a hardcore band but it's just not in their nature. I can't really blame them for trying, but I just don't buy this transformation. They made all the right steps, switching Kurt Ballou for Jim Siegel, featuring a bunch of amateur photography throughout the booklet and even featuring an e.e. cummings poem in the disc's tray, but none of this can substitute for the conviction with which they've previously delivered traditional hardcore. Bottom Line: Have Heart have changed their style on their latest full-length. It's not the worst thing I've ever heard, but it was definitely a disappointment for me as a fan of their previous material. Growth is all well and good but in this case, it feels forced in every way. There's no transition or hint of their previous material in here. There are some strong tracks sprinkled throughout this record, but the formula wears thin quickly and Have Heart just don't make a convincing argument for change.

48 comments

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anonymous 7/21/2008 10:23:46 PM

first, shitty band, horrible cover art

anonymous 7/21/2008 10:54:06 PM

sophomore album? way to do your research noob

Fuck_ 7/21/2008 10:56:55 PM

f*ck this stupid site. f*ck metal jerks who think anything could possibly wrong with this album. f*ck the dude who thinks the cover art sucks. Go listen to shitty black metal or something. gayZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.

bmann_ 7/21/2008 11:19:47 PM

yeah what ^^ said...def not sophomore. REVIEWFAIL

threexs_ 7/21/2008 11:33:43 PM

get outta town. best release of '08

scotty_ 7/21/2008 11:37:35 PM

shitty band on shitty label.

zero_x_potential_ 7/22/2008 12:10:01 AM

The Things We Carry was certainly better, but this deserves higher than a 5/10

xrybreadx_ 7/22/2008 12:25:15 AM

dramaaaaaaaaa

iceskates_ 7/22/2008 12:47:10 AM

horrible review. i dont give a f*ck how much it sounds like the last album, this album is awesome. take it for what it is.

anonymous 7/22/2008 1:07:59 AM

shit

LEX_LUGER_ 7/22/2008 1:22:17 AM

who cares

xbumpx_ 7/22/2008 1:33:12 AM

things we carry > 4th grader w/ beard tattling vocals

Dillon_ 7/22/2008 2:01:15 AM

Sadly this guy pretty much burned them. I'm sorry I'm a huge Have Heart fan but I gotta agree with this guy. This cd was a huge letdown. The last record you can listen to any time and track and just be pumped. This cd is just straight up pretty boring accept a few tracks.

anonymous 7/22/2008 2:09:39 AM

a 5/10 are you f*cking kidding me, although i dont think this record is perfect i still think its a well crafted record and at least deserves a 7 or 8, and its way better then other shit being produced and labled hardcore these days

anonymous 7/22/2008 2:17:43 AM

you gave terror a 7 and you gave this a 5, although consistant that terror record was as about as predictable as retards drooling, you cant tell me Bostons isnt a well crafted song and this record does have some memorable moments throughout.....did you ever hear that less can be more sometimes....its not always about how fast the track is...or how much sreaming is invovled...i think is they fuse elements of thier last record with this one, id be anxious for the third record

david_ 7/22/2008 2:28:10 AM

gay gay gay gay, what awful music

neighbordave_ 7/22/2008 3:46:42 AM

7/10

thereapersson_ 7/22/2008 7:27:04 AM

come on, I would have given this a 7/10!

anonymous 7/22/2008 8:15:51 AM

it IS their sophomore album...they have two albums and an EP

sawtooth_ 7/22/2008 8:45:51 AM

pretty sure this is their SECOND album. that said, good review...it was indeed a letdown. last album was def more intense...maybe this one will grow on me.

aids_ 7/22/2008 9:11:29 AM

horrid band.... kids in nike dunks everywhere are boohooing over this review.

JudasGoat_ 7/22/2008 10:35:22 AM

Shit Review, awesome album

Devin_ 7/22/2008 1:17:15 PM

Great review, Cory. I loved their last record, but I'm still not totally sold on this one. Maybe not a 5/10, but it's certainly no 8 or 9 either.

manLARH_ 7/22/2008 1:41:15 PM

you nailed it. i was rather disappointed with this album

imareader_ 7/22/2008 2:00:27 PM

the cory has spoken. cease your gayness

xlinkousx_ 7/22/2008 8:20:42 PM

I'm pretty sure it's their second full length, thus their sophomore album. On that note, this album f*cking rips, way more emotional and deals with a wider array of topics, not just straight edge and bro downs. Pat and the boys have my full support, like always.

k0n_ 7/22/2008 11:55:57 PM

Listened to this record once. Really enjoyed the first two tracks, the rest was a borefest. the review and score are accurate.

James_ 7/23/2008 12:23:38 AM

Shitty review from a true gay because he used four paragraphs to say one sentence worth of actual opinion, but his opinion is dead on.

flow1800_ 7/23/2008 10:04:09 AM

4P1Zjh yhdetuiohdesigh uishiudghugs hdgisughui sdhguid shgudshguidsh guisdhgidshgs

fxxxkyouimedge_ 7/23/2008 11:32:30 AM

This album was very very good, 8/10 def...wasn't better than "the things we carry" but you gays that disagree, should go back listen to emmure, and tell your friends you listen to hardcore.

Fuck_ 7/23/2008 10:12:25 PM

Emmure IS hardcore, f*cktwat.

2000flushes_ 7/23/2008 10:29:50 PM

vocals sound a bit different. it's pretty good. 7/10

anonymous 7/24/2008 1:26:10 AM

hey, let's debate about completely subjective topics like personal taste in music and the categorizing of musical subgenres while simultaneously ripping on kids who are less apathetic than you are...and probably have more friends. let it go. take a walk outside. maybe then you can enjoy music again...and perhaps life, too.

lol_ 7/24/2008 3:53:05 AM

lol @ the emmure defense comment. NERDZZZZZZZZZZ

deez_nutz_ 7/24/2008 7:38:53 AM

agreed with cory. last album was good, should have stuck with what they are good at. f*ck MLIW

tragic_visions_ 7/24/2008 1:38:09 PM

f*cking homo shit.

lounge_ 7/25/2008 2:34:39 AM

good review, but should be 7/10

jimc_ 7/25/2008 5:52:13 AM

reviewer is a legit idiot.

johnfag_ 7/25/2008 5:52:16 AM

review flip x1000 - eat shit all you nile f*cking gays this album ruled. i came from the album art.

anonymous 7/28/2008 10:08:09 AM

Who cares what this idiot thinks, You guys actually read opinions from someone who has Lil Wayne in their playlist. If a person thinks lil wayne creates good music then that person's opinions on music mean nothing to me, It is completely beyond me how someone can willingly put in a lil wayne album and sit and listen to it, f*cking awful

jamieking_ 8/3/2008 8:45:44 PM

apparently this reviewer knows everything. folks, if you rearize music instead of listening to it, play in a band. this reviewer need to eat mushrooms or almost die. love life loser

anonymous 8/16/2008 12:00:35 PM

I do think this album deserved more than a 5, but it has taken a bit of time for it to grow on me. It is slow, and just not as intense as the songs I heard on the first album, but in no way bad. I enjoy this album...

Splinterrrrrr_ 8/18/2008 9:54:10 PM

Many ROFLcopters take flight at the "Emmure = Hardcore" comment.

bensy_ 9/21/2008 11:13:53 PM

Terrible review. This record blew me away, and I used to hate this band. Easy 9/10

retard_ 11/4/2008 4:37:41 PM

by far the worst review i've read in a while. one of the best albums of the year hands down.

VishxBlood_ 11/24/2008 3:08:30 PM

This is the most over rated hardcore band ever. All you kids that are all influenced by these guys should listen to some real hardcore like Madball and No Innocent Victim

viceguy_ 1/15/2009 1:18:51 PM

have heart used to be cool

paul_ 4/19/2009 2:12:37 PM

hmm, i have to say "no roses no skies" blew me away, but I must agree that TTWC had alotta better tracks, watch me rise, watch me sink, etc. etc. etc. but still I love have heart, and yes Emmure aint hardcore, real hardcore is things like Madball, Warzone, Minor Threat, etc. etc... and i have to agree black/death metal is absolutely pointless, hardcore.... the right hardcore has a message.