Album Review :
Yours for Mine - Dear Children
By Eric Pettersson in Reviews | Comments closed
Artist: Yours for Mine
Album: Dear Children
Label: Blood & Ink Records
Release Date: January 13, 2009
Reviewer: Eric Pettersson
Tracklist:
1. We Need You Here
2. Absence Is Elegance
3. My Tomorrow
4. The Angry End
5. Native Tongue
6. What Happened to Us?
7. Bling Crosby
8. Dear Children
9. Call Me Distant
10. The Instrumental
Every time I hear that gurgly scream, I picture Jimbo, the tallest of the three school bullies on The Simpsons. With this in mind, seeing him screaming the words into a microphone, it makes listening to Yours for Mine different than other melodic metalcore bands. On one hand, it could be awkward and cartoonish, but on the other hand, I absolutely love The Simpsons, so it’s pretty easy to work with. It’s also balanced out by a deeper, guttural growl, along with a decent amount of clean vocals, occasionally layered for an attempt at harmony.
This debut takes the sincerity and heaviness of Oh, Sleeper and mixes it with melodic intricacies usually found with indie-rock bands like Anathallo or Circa Survive, although it is less complex than those two bands. There is an experimental side to “Dear Children” that is not usually found on records in this genre. Typically the bridge of a song with expand into new territory, like the awkward elevator music in “Absence Is Elegance” or the invigorating tribal percussion jam on “My Tomorrow.” Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn’t. The same could be said of their melodic side as well, as the clean vocals can be a bit weak from time to time, along with the melodic guitars, making me wish Yours for Mine would have focused more on what they are obviously so good at: the heavy side of their sound.
A little more intensity, and “Dear Children” could be among the better metalcore albums I’ve heard. A masterfully crafted and artfully executed heaviness to songs like “What Happened to Us,” shows just how good this band can be when they are at their best. Unfortunately, Yours for Mine choose to dabble in too many areas outside of their expertise, leaving this debut full of holes and melting in places where it could be solid rock.
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