Mind Equals Blown

IWRESTLEDABEARONCE Ruining It for Everybody

Metalcore/Electro | Century Media

MEB Rating:

6.0

User Rating:

7.6

5 Ratings

In an interview with Artist Direct, IWESTLEDABEARONCE guitarist Steven Bradley said that for the band’s follow-up to 2009’s It’s All Happening, they had tried to make their sound a little more cohesive – albeit with the same weirdness – labeling the album “gooderer.”

Boy, did he hit the nail right on the head with the term “gooderer,” which describes exactly what you’ll feel when listening to IWABO’s sophomore effort, Ruining It for Everybody. The album still sounds exactly like the IWABO we all know and love/hate, while drastically improving on a few key areas that previously served to both intrigue and frustrate.

RIFE, at its most abrasive, sounds somewhat like a surreal imagining of an NES machine being savagely raped by a screeching crow – the crow being IWABO vocalist Krysta Cameron, that is. The band’s much-lusted after frontwoman demonstrates her terrifying (yet, at times grating) shrieks much as she did on IWABO’s previous releases. The most notable change within her vocal performances lie within her singing, which displays a marked improvement from the faux-jazzy Cameron of old.

Thankfully, instead of employing her forced, off-pitch wails a la IAH, Cameron’s loosened up and let her true, perfect-for-pop voice emerge (“Gold Jacket, Green Jacket” and “Karate Nipples”). The latter contains a strangely dancey section – indeed, I’m curious as to how she would sound if she were in a pop band.

Cameron also mentioned in the interview that she “put paper all over the wall and wrote” when coming up with ideas, which aptly describes how each song on the album is structured. The songs are absolutely all over the place, in terms of musicianship and song structures. To the uninitiated, Ruining It For Everybody will not sound any different than the band’s previous releases. However, once you start to pay attention to what’s happening and compare the album to IAH, you’ll see that though RIFE may sound like the aftermath of one too many chili dogs on a Sunday night, the parts flow seamlessly (the surfer rock interlude in “You Know That Ain’t Them Dogs’ Real Voices” in particular), with nary a misstep along the way.

Moving on to the heavy bits of the album, IWABO emit their usual finger-destroying guitar work  (“Next Visible Delicious”) and a delectable death metal vibe (“It Is “Bro” Isn’t It?”), without ever getting too comfortable with one particular sound. I must confess, I have never listened to IAH in its entirety in one single play through – the only time I did was when I accidentally fell asleep on the bus with the album playing through my earphones.

So, how then, does the album fare? Well, one thing’s for sure, if you didn’t like IWABO before, this sure isn’t going to help you change your mind. However, the band has also shown (gasp!) maturity and is far more listenable than ever before. Fans who are new to the band, be prepared for a trip into mind-bending randomosity. It may not be the best or freshest ride, but I can promise you it will not be a boring one.

Author: Shaun Tan View Staff Page for Shaun Tan

I live in Singapore, where the its blazing hot for nine months of the year and soaked in torrential rain for the other three months. My musical tastes tend towards post-hardcore and metalcore, though I enjoy the soft whisperings of indie folk music just as much. I also specialize in taking bad photos of music gigs and smashing guitars.

(5 votes, average: 7.60 out of 10)

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