The Almost
Southern Winter

By Andrew F.

Tooth and Nail Records, July2007
Style: Emo/Hard Rock
Website: www.thealmost.com
Rating: 3/5

The Almost is a side project of Underoath member Aaron Gillespie. Although I have never been an Underoath fan, I was definitely interested in seeing how The Almost fared. Would Gillespie's brainchild be of the same line as the long-running Underoath, or would he go a completely different route? After listening over Southern Winter I would it is a little bit of both…

"Say This Sooner" starts things off with a small bang. Thick power chords drive the song along, with some background vocals to create that "arena" feel. The song is pretty much straight forward rock, with some slight screamo overtones, and one unique twist in the bridge where the band experiments with a folk-like musical phrase. The title track features a technique very rarely heard in rock music…backbeat playing on the drums! It really shows the versatility and musical knowledge of the band members. For me, the backbeat effect really made the song. "Dirty and Left Out" is the obligatory acoustic ballad, although it is not really a "ballad". Rather, it has a mournful, raw feel to it, very similar to old blues or folk musicians. Once again I mention the spectrum that Gillespie is using to convey his musical vision. I am impressed with these songs immensely, and I hope the band continues to expand these elements on future endeavors. That was the good; now the bad. Several of the songs on Southern Winter sound like filler. In between the aforementioned songs, there are lots of tracks that sound like every other screamo/emo/rock/whatever band out there. I really hope on the next album Gillespie will choose to exploit the more creative side of himself, and not keep on with this melodic-screamo stuff. I'm sorry if I come across as harsh, but I can't help but feel this album could have been EXCELLENT if there wasn't all the filler. We'll see what comes to be in due time.

The vocals fit the music. That is all I'm going to say. If you pick up this album, expect some of the nasal whining often associated with emo. If you don't mind that, then by all means enjoy the vocal performance. There's nothing exceptional, other than some gang vocals brought in from time to time. The lyrics are quite cryptic and could be interpreted in many different ways.  One song does stick out though: "Dirty and Left Out". It's a confession of lustful desires and ends with a cry to Jesus for repentance. "Amazing Because It Is" incorporates the hymn Amazing Grace, which was quite different and interesting to listen to. The rest of the songs cover different issues in life and the emotional consequences.

Overall, this album showed immense potential with a couple song. However, it falls back into that trap of what I call "melodic screamo".
Go to their website, listen to a few songs, and decide for yourself.