It's not often you see a hardcore band sporting the tag "soul". And whilst I think it a bit of a stretch for people to label Letlive straight-up as "soul", I don't think it a stretch to call them one of more stranger, experimental and interesting post-hardcore bands around today. The soul tag probably comes from the bands constant nods to the general area of music... with things like the song title "Homeless Jazz", a man brandishing a saxaphone on the cover art... or more importantly, the constant turns to jazzy, syncopated and unpredictable (frequently spastic) instrumentation & swagger Fake History showcases in its music.
It's also not every day you hear the lyrics "I'll... take my stand at the back of the motherfucking bus... 'cause I'm a proud-ass nigger" in a song of this genre. The album is littered with tongue-in-cheek, satirical and witty lyrics, though despite the band appear to be able to have their fun and games at times, for the most part the album feels mature or sombre. Lyrics also lean towards the observational side of things, seeming to frequent the socially or politically critical... and they can be quite abrasive.
Letlive seem to combine all the greatest things I love about modern hardcore - chaotic, furious verses and catchy, melodic choruses, structured by progressive composition, all packaged & delivered with the angst and passion you'd expect from a band like Defeater. Overall an incredible album and a band of great promise, and certainly the kind of breath of fresh air the stagnant post-hardcore scene needs.
Fake HistoryReleased: 2011
Country: USA
Genre: Post-Hardcore/Progressive Punk
"The Sick, Sick, 6.8 Billion" music video
"Renegade '86" music video
FFO: Glassjaw, Lower Than Atlantis, Defeater
