Daughters, You Won't Get What You Want, Album Review
Daughters
You Won't Get What You Want
Album Review
While I normally find it difficult to immerse myself into an album that is "overly technical", this album certainly caught my attention due to how well received it has been since its release. I had never really heard of Daughters until the release of this new album, but was surprised that they have been making music since 2003. Although, it has been quite some time between this newest album and their last with a 7 year gap.
The band has been labelled as noise rock, math rock, grind core and everything in-between. But even considering the out-there genres that the band are affiliated with. I found this album, named "You Won't Get What You Want" to be a vey surreal experience.
The majority of the albums atmosphere is very moody, atmospheric and above all, extremely dark in its tone and instrumentation. It feels somewhat apocalyptic at points and is unnerving enough for one to become mentally exhausted after just one listen. But I personally see all of this as factors that elevate the album and contribute to why it has been so highly praised.
The album gets off to an immediately dark beginning with the first single, titled "City Song". The sluggish rhythm along with the electronic beat that is supposedly made to sound like gunshots instantly give off the vibe that this will be an album that is very gruesome in its atmosphere. I also really like the way that there are occasional groans that almost make it seem like the vocalist is wincing in pain. It only amplify's the distressing undertone of the track. The track then progresses into a much louder and dynamic sound that explodes towards the end. This track did an amazing job of letting the listener know just what kind of album they're in for.
Following this is the nightmarish "Long Road, No Turns" which I actually listened to first before listening to the rest of the album, just to get a little taste of what I could expect. With its faster rhythm and distorted guitar riffs that almost sound like grandfather clock chimes, very engaging vocals and very cool instrumental at the end, it remains one of my favourite songs on the album.
Turning from nightmarish to a more mellow atmosphere, "Satan In The Wait" returns to a slower pace and has a much more melodic composition, making it seem almost beautiful sounding amongst a lot of the other tracks on this album. Its one of the longer songs on the album as well with a runtime of over 7 minutes but it still stand as a very captivating ballad.
"The Flammable Man" returns to the nightmarish side of things with relentlessly noisy instrumentation, a very fast pace and repeated vocals that really engrave the song into ones memory. It's incredibly explosive in its approach, but unfortunately isn't one of the more prominent songs in my mind as I feel that it tries a little bit too hard to be dynamic and in turn loses a lot of atmosphere.
"The Lords Song" is somewhat similar to the previous track in the way that it continues to be relentlessly energetic and dynamic. however, i feel that the rhythm and just the general way that this track flows allows it to be much more effective than "The Flammable Man". I just feel that this song somehow proves to be a lot more engaging.
Arguably the most unique track on the album has to be "Less Sex" because of how it seems to be a lot more pop-influenced than the other tracks. Despite this however, it still manages to keep the moody and dark undertone, allowing it to be a very effective song as well as a unique one. I like this track very much.
The next track, titled "Daughter" is packed with atmosphere. I love the echoing of the guitar strings as well as the toned down clicking of the percussion. Despite the fact that the composition of the track seems like something that has been done before, it still didn't stop me from enjoying the track.
Whole I see "Less Sex" as the most unique track, "The Reason They Hate Me" is in my mind, the least. I find the rhythm and instrumentation incredibly generic and could be compared to a lot of post-punk music to be released in recent years. There was nothing to really get me hooked on this song. In fact, the only touch of Daughters that I could feel in there was the minor noise accompanying the generic riffs. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough for me to see this song as memorable.
"Ocean Song" is thankfully a lot better than the last track. With its very sinister sounding bass and guitar riffs along with the lyrics being told almost like a poem of sorts. My only criticism is that it could've been slightly shorter in length, but that's honestly only minor in comparison to what makes this song so good. In addition, I thought the ending guitar distortions are one of the albums most unnerving and effective moments.
The final song, "Guest House" progresses from a very disturbing and noisy start to a more melodic finish. It was also one of the more thought provoking tracks on the album, which makes it a good choice for a song to put last. I sort of got the vibe that the song displayed the idea of not letting your inner demons back in once you've expelled them and eventually liberating yourself for good, which would explain the more melodic and triumphant sounding ending to the song. This ending also feels like a reward to the listener for getting through the nightmarish nature of the whole album. I may be completely wrong but its still a valid speculation.
Overall, I did really see this album as quite the unique experience. I may not think of the album as a 10/10, but is still most certainly worth reviewing and furthermore, worth listening to. So if you haven't already, give this album a listen, if you dare.
Thank you for reading,
Booth Boy
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