From the emo band Something Corporate, comes their third major record label release, North. The band made a splash into the music scene in late 2001, and hasn’t stopped gaining musical acclaim since then. All the members of the band originally hail from Orange County, California and still refer to it as their true home.

North is by far one of the better releases that I have heard all year from any emo band. The main reason for this is because the band chooses not to limit their sound to just one genre of music. They explore a world of various instrumental styles on the CD, and with every song the listener gets a pleasant twist to look forward to. A perfect example of this is their debut single “Space.” The band mixes together the classical sounds of the piano, and edgy guitar riffs to produce a sound unlike any other out in the music world.

Another song that I found when I was listening to North was “Ashes,” this is by far my favorite song on the entire album. This is my favorite song simply because of all the different levels of emotion that it contains. The song starts out with a fiery guitar riff, which surprised me considering that most of the previous songs have a mellow sound to them. To add to the guitar riffs edge, lead singer Andrew McMahon, seemed to have put more emotion into this song then any of the others. With its poignant and beautiful lyrics, “Ashes” is sure to make an impression on everyone’s mind.

One song that seemed to stay in my mind lyrically was “Me and The Moon.” For this song the band mixed together haunting melodies and somewhat eerie lyrics to make the listener see from a different point of view. The song touches on the controversial subject of murder within families, but still seem to pull it off with an outstanding grace.

Something else that I noticed in North was that the band truly cares for the music they produce and that they love their jobs. This is evident when you look at the lyrics and see how much they put themselves into it. They not only play their own instruments, but they also write and produce their music as well. This is one quality that will keep them around for many years to come, and will be sure to gain them many more fans.

Some other songs that I highly recommend listening to are “She Paints Me Blue,” “Miss America,” and “21 and Invincible.” The great thing about these songs is that you can listen to them no matter what type of mood you are in.

Though Something Corporate is still an up and coming band, I feel that they have an edge over many others that have been around for far longer. They have excellent lyrics, and the musical talent to back it all up.

I would highly recommend this CD to anyone that listens to emo music, or anyone with an appreciation for the extraordinary.



Excellent-*****