Hell Is For Heroes
The Neon Handshake

THE REVIEW

Sometimes you have to bow to the obvious and admit that a work is beautiful in itself and not because it references some avant-garde movement or has hidden subliminal or intellectual messages between the lines. Sometimes, unfortunately, only a few times. In a musical world split in half between extreme contentism and empty popism, finding a record that skillfully and crisply threads the needle moves me.

"The Neon Handshake" (2002 @ EMI Records) is the first work of Hell Is For Heroes, a band of young Englishmen born in South West London in the early 2000s, and in its beginnings, it profusely released EPs. They had it easy, quickly captured by a major label. So, the premise is certainly not like those praised bands "that-make-their-own-way-and-the-rest-stinks." And yet?

Emotions, cuts, wild splinters, simple and sharp lyrics, and lots and lots of passion. That would be enough to describe the album, and perhaps I should stop here. What good would it do to convince you that even though it clearly references a never-more-inflated EMO movement, our guys emerge from the chaos with wonderful songs in vocal lines (kudos to the singer Justin Schlosberg) and in never too intricate, but rather tasteful guitars? "Five Kids Go" is jumping on the bed and landing feet first on the floor to make as much noise as possible to the poor 80-year-old neighbor living below. The boys also had the bright idea (always to avoid too predictable criticisms) of inviting the Deftones for a snack, bravo ("Out Of Sight"). What point is there in telling you that "Night Vision" is perhaps one of the most beautiful and engaging rock rides (beware, horses don't have fog lights) of recent years? The power of the guitars is unstoppable but the tones are never of the "wrist-cutting" kind, on the contrary, a strange, nocturnal light shines on the album, could it be the Neon? The guys have courage and guilelessness to sell, and the rhythmic, bouncing rock of "I Can Climb Mountains" would represent their perfect single if it weren't that they later release a monster of energetic charge like "You Drove Me To It." Dishes at the forefront, but in lo-fi, guitar distant and then?upgrade in quality (audio and otherwise) and a terribly catchy chorus, with a semi-screamo second voice in the background, and heads bobbing and hair swaying. Tired but satisfied, let's let "Slow Song" cradle us. Ahhh, finally the long, poignant piece that many love(hate)! Be careful because the end is heart-stopping, it reminds me of "Post Tour, Pro Judgment" by Aereogramme, if not for the fact that this is an EMO album! Damn!

But what good does it do for me to bother telling you these things? I think nothing, but I did it anyway (what a joker I am).