2011 has just been one incredible release after another, and this week's album is no exception. The Current Will Carry Us is a gem of '11 that, although having been out some months, I put off listening to because I'd been swamped with music; and being a huge fan of the Counterparts' previous album Prophets, I wanted to give the album the breathing space and mulling time it deserved for the first listen.
You'd have thought Counterparts were pushing it a bit, churning out an album a mere year after their debut. I was both excited and skeptical upon hearing the news of its release. Having dedicated some time to it, I can say my excitement was well-placed... and my skepticism (even though it was kinda justified) was WAY off.
Prophets was a bit hit-and-miss. Some songs were so emotional and awe-inspiring that they almost made others seem like bland "filler-tracks", the quality dipping and diving all over the place. This album on the other hand is pure non-stop melodic hardcore quality, start to finish - fast, furious, emotive, and surprisingly diverse & varied.
Problem is, it lacks the same instant "wow" moments that made their debut so good... hold on, this is starting to sound familiar... yep, Counterparts seem to have followed in the footsteps of peers Hundredth and It Prevails with THEIR 2011 albums; that is, though they've all clearly matured and refined their sounds, the albums are missing the stand-out anthems that made previous releases so memorable. Though these three albums are undoubtedly my favorites from each of them, and are epic in their own rights, my favorite SONGS by each of the bands are still from earlier material.
A more balanced approach to writing albums is by no means a bad thing though. And at the end of it all, Counterparts have seriously out-done themselves this time around and shown the most vast improvement: The Current Will Carry Us has definitely fought its way to my core highlight of the year so far. Just hints that there may very well be some truth to my theory: that Americans simply make fun of Canadians because they know Canadians can do what they do, but better.
The Current Will Carry UsReleased: 2011
Country: Canada
Genre: Melodic Hardcore/Metalcore
"Jumping Ship" music video
"MMVII"
FFO: With Life In Mind, Hundredth, Misery Signals
