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Rating: There is little known about 1905. It's known that they formed in Washington DC in 2001, released a demo the following year, and their first and only album "Voice" in 2004, only to disband a year later. It's rare to find even information about the line-up: countless searches have only revealed that the singer's name is Jess and the bassist's is Brian. So, why am I here today talking about this semi-unknown band with a very short career and only one album to their name? Because that one album is a true masterpiece, and in a mere 4 years of career they influenced an entire generation of bands to come.
90% of Screamo and Post-Hardcore bands, from 2004 to today, owe a lot to 1905. Their perfect blend of power and sweetness, of hardcore and folk remains unique to this day. On a rather melodic and atypical hardcore punk base, our heroes graft acoustic parts that are heavily indebted to Irish folk, delightful piano inserts, and perfectly executed pop melodies that embellish the songs without distorting their tension. Leading it all are the splendid vocal intertwinings of the two singers, male and female, which add epic qualities and incredible pathos to the sound rendering. Jess in particular proves to be a truly extraordinary singer, capable of effortlessly transitioning from the lyrical sweetness of Beth Gibbons (listen to the acoustic "Quote") to a hysterical despair shouted at the top of her lungs reminiscent of the golden days of Courtney Love (or Brody Dalle, staying within the hardcore field). Jess spares nothing in any song, constantly giving 110%, providing an extra edge to the band's sound.
But the proposal of the Washington band doesn't end here: there isn't only hardcore in "Voice". The pair "Throw"/"Your Wrong" brings to mind the Pogues and the unforgettable Vaselines, "Shilouette" is a beautiful entirely piano-driven instrumental piece, "Missing", the other instrumental, recalls something from solo John Frusciante, the long "Go" is tinged with alternative rock. "Fall" and especially "Can't Change Everything" are missed singles that if released today would cause a frenzy among so-called "alternative" teenagers. But no single was ever released from "Voice". The same album, despite the rave reviews from professionals, did not receive the success it widely deserved; so much so that they disbanded at the end of the relevant promotional tour, and who knows where and what the former members are doing today. All that remains to remind us of them today is the immense esteem and devotion of an entire music scene and this small, great masterpiece of barely 35 minutes.
P.S: on their LastFM page "Voice" is available for free download. Don't miss it!
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
03 Fall (02:42)
Your heart filled with hate vacuums the smile off my face.
It makes a bad day pass slower
--your backward ideas--
stumbling and falling instead of reaching...
I don't want to.
I dont want to look at the stars with you
until you can look at strangers with me
(and smile instead of smirk) a sneer across your face,
everything is ugly to you
and beauty can't exist in anything, in anyone at all...)
are not here
your body is a shadow a memory of what used to be
we can say hello but you're dead to me.
I don't want to look at the stars with you
until you can look at strangers with me and smile.
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