On Sunday, Sept. 21, the Ottobar will welcome New York-based Coheed and Cambria to Baltimore.
Coheed and Cambria is one of the more popular bands that falls into that boundless category we call "emo." But then, categorizing the band is not really that simple. This is mostly a problem with the word "emo" rather that with the band itself. It's all due to the fact that the term "emo" encompasses so many different sounds, from "emocore" to "post-emo indie rock" and many others. So what ties all of these genres together as emo: Emotionally-charged, high-impact music. After all, "emo" is short for emotion.
What was originally called "emo," now emocore, began during the '80s in the Washington, D.C. punk scene. The music evolved from a handful ofbands that outgrew the confines of punk. The central characteristic of that emo sound is generated by dueling guitars, octave chords, and emotionally charged lyrics. More recent emo bands are putting their own spins on things by making it more poppy, making it rock harder or adding more of an indie sensibility to their sounds. Things have gotten to the point where it's getting hard to know what emo is at all!
Coheed and Cambria is a four-member operation that developed in the outskirts of New York City. Claudio Sanchez plays guitars and provides the lead vocals for the band. He is joined in his dueling guitar lines and on the mic by Travis Stever, and the driving rhythm section includes Joshua Eppard and Mic Todd on percussion and bass, respectively.
The quartet has got a lot of emo up its sleeve, but their feel has strong tendencies toward progressive rock. They also utilize punk intensity, draw on pop melodies and blend it all with a touch of good old hard rock, creating a sound much like the band Thursday.
The new Coheed and Cambria EP, In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 comes out on Oct. 7 on Equal Vision records. Its four songs combine ferocious driving rhythms with lyrical melodies and detailed guitar riffs. Opening track "The Crowing" presents the vivacity of punk alongside the refinement and articulation seen so often in progressive rock. Other tracks, like "A Favor House Atlantic," "The Camper Velorium III: Al the Killer," and the title track revert back to classic emo stylings. C&C's prog tendencies don't steer their audiences steer away by including the typical screaming and banging of other emo rockers.
In "The Camper Velorium III," there are definitive moments of indecipherable screaming accompanied by the incessant pounding strings and drumheads. "A Favor House Atlantic" is more of a vocal highlight track, mainly because all lyrics are audible and comprehensible. The vocals provided by Sanchez in this track are reminiscent of Dashboard Confessional's Chris Carrabba, only they are bolstered by stronger bass and percussion. Additional depth is added to the vocals by Stever, who offers an intensity to the music that is absent from the soulful crooning of Confessional.
In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 is a must-have for any fan of emo, rock, progressive, or punk music. Hopefully the upcoming show will include C&C's last album, The Second Stage Turbine Blade, which was a model record for fans of Thursday, Further Seems Forever and Taking Back Sunday. Joining Coheed and Cambria are Boys Night Out. Tickets are $12.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The News-Letter.