You know, I’m not even going to begin to set up a picture for this record. I mean I really shouldn’t have to for those of you that know WE CAME AS ROMANS. And for those of you reading this review that aren’t fans or haven’t heard of this band, setting this record up on paper doesn’t do anything, really. I want y’all to just read this review and then go buy it because you will find what you are looking for – I swear to god, you will – in the 10 song offering by WE CAME AS ROMANS.
- VULTURES WITH CLIPPED WINGS – god help me! Where does that drop with the kick-punch come from? Literally, made me want to slam against the wall, like body slam, slam dance around the loft with myself. And not like BILLY IDOL taught us either…this song will produce an internal earthquake. Prepare yourselves.
- COLD LIKE WAR – I love the tinkle-tickling in the background which distracted my thoughts just enough until, like a measuring tape comes back to its holster; the chorus came rushing in…I will literally throw my hands up in worship (no false idols, mind you) when I hear this song now. Where the flying phat fuck did the chorus come from?? I’ll tell you where…WCAR took it from the sound a flock of angels flying. That’s where it comes from bitches!! Holy shit!!!
- TWO HANDS – YES!! All of this song; what JOSHUA MOORE writes about. ALL of it, is what I want to say to you-know-who. No joke here folks, the water works started when I connected with the lyrics and what I felt from the song’s sounds. Like a vulture that has been circling above me, is what this song encapsulates for me personally, and it’s like I realized that I have been trying to verbalize this message for the last year or so after my divorce. That circling bird above, finally swooped down… Cheese And Rice, that’s a good f’ing song! “I’m not OK – you’re not the better half of me…” & “I’m trying to breathe underwater – like two hands that can’t hold each other…” “I can breathe & finally let you go…” UGHH and yes…whew!
- LOST IN THE MOMENT – badass mid-melody tucked back up in there! Where this song sticks with me: I felt like I was being pulled out of a tar pit – when you start to wake up to some of these blinding stars, flaring at your face. You either blink or you take it all in hoping you don’t go blind when the light dims. You have to look at the moments in life for what they are in the big picture…am I lost or am I found??? The cut-times do it for me every time and WE CAME AS ROMANS know how to fit those in perfectly.
- FOREIGN FIRE – I love the heavy vocal at the start with the power backed up with the breaks and booms in this song. Fuck! Sometimes my heart feels like those sounds. Odd though, isn’t it when you finally realize or see yourself within the story of the song? The last half of this track might break you, so be strong pretties…
- WASTED AGE – stir it up f’ers!!! I loved this song when it came out as a single – I think it was the first off this record, maybe – I think? The energy is unreal. OMgojira – who plays the bass this fast? Jezus!! Wrapped in the middle of this sweet sammich of a song is where WCAR grabs your heart and yanks it down to the bottom of your gut – so watch out for that!
- ENCODER – what makes WCAR so masterfully musically magnificent is the crazy connections that they put together – and WHAMO – a track like THIS comes out. “The only time I learn is from mistakes…” #speakit
- IF THERE’S NOTHING TO SEE – love the synth and bass drum X2…where this and a lot of the tracks on “Cold Like War”, echo this dark AF undertone that house some pretty massive holes that humans can carry. Ya dig? I think these echoes that bounce around are where WCAR soars as a collective because I fucking pick up what they’re putting down.
- PROMISE ME – Seriously. Check me in right now. What is coming through this track so fucking LOUD for me is “will I be remembered…” godamit. THIS is what I’ve been trying to express to them, to my girls, to readers – no one wants to feel forgotten. Where does our footprint land with the people we come in contact with sporadically or to those that we see everyday? For me, I have felt that the two most important things in my life might forget or worse, be bent by words and actions that make them forget. Wow…
- LEARNING TO SURVIVE – “Burning my bridges to light the way” = massive life lesson. The concoction of the tempo and pure honesty in this track; quick like a gallop to having to slow down to really understand what is happening is where the tempo takes you. I mean it can’t be full throttle or we’d never learn or grow – but fuck, life can feel like this, right? Slow down, slow down, slow down…and take a breath. This is what I have to remember to tell myself…and this song’s structure helps recall this reminder.
DUDE. What just happened? Let me tell you – I’ve been baptized: dunked, doused, splashed, sunk and brought out by “Cold Like War” and WE CAME AS ROMANS. I am born again bitches!!!
Catch WE CAME AS ROMANS on tour this fall. Take a look at their FACEBOOK page for dates and more info on where to pick up “Cold Like War” next Friday and DO IT.
Til Next Time – MRML
