Rise Records caught a lot of heat in the middle part of the 2000s. Granted, I think we can all agree that the label giving bands like Breathe Carolina, Attack Attack!, and the trainwreck that is Jonny Craig an outlet to release their "art" its fair share of criticism. Hell, even the work that The Devil Wears Prada when they were on Rise was pretty lackluster (ask the band, they'll probably say the same thing). But after signing prominent pop-punk acts such as Transit, A Loss for Words, and Man Overboard, coupled with the development of emo revivalists Daytrader and the re-introduction of The Early November to the scene (coming soon!), and the label has now become the pulse of the next big movement in music. And that movement just started to sound a whole lot sweeter, thanks to Make Do and Mend's stellar new album Everything You Ever Loved.
Everything You Ever Loved begins with "Blur," a slow-building song whose lyrics feature the album's title. Vocalist James Carroll delivers the line numerous times throughout the song, and cranks up the emotion each time. Fans of Make Do and Mend will note that "Blur," and most of Every Thing You Ever Loved, is a more melodic, fine-tuned departure from the band's earlier sound, which featured a more harsh tone from Carroll over chugging, heavy guitars, while Everything focuses more on melodies and musicianship. Even with the shift in sound, however, there is no meaning lost in the lyrics, but rather a sense of urgency for the band to get its point across. Most of the songs on Everything You Ever Loved find Carroll looking back at the past, and one of the most notable tracks, "Disassemble," is as melancholy a song you'll find all year. "Love, please hang around/ 'cause I'm the kind of wreck that you read about" and "These days I barely remind or resemble the friend you knew in me" are lines that prove to be the highlight of Carroll's lament, and help to power the track home for the listener.
"Count" is a track that older fans of Make Do and Mend will take kindly to, as a fast-paced introduction leads into a quiet verse, only for the band to break it open for the chorus, with Carroll's scream pacing the chorus. "St. Anne" features an atmospheric opening featuring an organ before the band comes in, and serves as a plea to keep someone close, as Carroll sings "Put your hand across my heart, and calm me down." The album's consistency is flattering, and it will not take long for the listener to understand that what they are hearing is the start of something special. I could go in-depth about how great each individual track is, but that would ruin the fun for everyone else, and this is an album that you need to let soak in. Just know that "Royal" is Carroll's record of how he deals with having his girlfriend far away from him. And "Lucky" is a rally cry for any group of friends headed to the beach for a weekend vacation this summer. And that the string arrangements in "Drown In It" will send shivers down your spine the first time you hear them (trust me on that).
Everything You Ever Loved is a difficult album. But it isn't because the music is bad; rather, the album is an invitation from the band for the listener to reopen old wounds and past memories with them, over the course of eleven songs arranged over 41 minutes. The album will tear at your heart, but you won't be able to go from "Blur" to "Desert Lily" without vivid flashbacks to better times, and any album that can bring up the good memories as easily as the bad is deserving of the highest of praise.
The Bottom Line: Everything You Ever Loved is the heaviest release Rise Records will put out this year, and instead of using predictable breakdowns, mosh calls, dubstep interludes, synchronized stage moves, crab-core, or swoopy hair cuts, Make Do and Mend do it with heart, honesty, and talent. Imagine that.
Recommended if you rock: Balance and Composure's Separation, Jimmy Eat World's Chase This Light, The Menzingers's On the Impossible Past
Get behind it: Check out Make Do and Mend on Facebook and follow them on Twitter!
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