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Relative Ash: Our Time With You... Mallcore Island Records 2000
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Review
Coming straight out of the explosion of the Mallcore scene is a band that was probably signed as some sort of twisted joke. Our Time With You... is the debut full-length album, and only release, by the act Relative Ash, which can only be described as one Hell of an experience from start to finish. The best way to explain it would be if the band Smashing Pumpkins suddenly decided to do Mallcore and incorporate some vocal distortion. Throw those factors in, as well as the mighty promotional strength (at the time) of Island Records, and you have a release that is so atrocious and annoying that it's actually somewhat enjoyable as you struggle to decide whether you want to head bang, or burst out laughing. Honestly, for an early Mallcore act, the music on Our Time With You... is pretty good. There's nothing too over the top dramatic about the music, but when the music does pick up, like on the first track "Pout", it does get intense enough for you to start bobbing your head, and if you're a fan of the style you'll enjoy the crunching guitars that do kick in fire things up a bit. These types of moments are littered throughout the album, pretty much on every track. The rhaspy distorted screams utilized through these heavier moments really do compliment the sound throughout the album and show that the group does have some potential. So what really drags the release down then? First of all, the slower aspects of this album, such as during "Breathe (Tiny Hands)" usually have a good driving bass line that works with the Groove aspect of the music, but these moments usually lead the vocalist to singing, and trust me, this is what really makes the album a laugh out loud inside joke. There's a good chance that much of what is today's emo scene could partly be blamed on this band as well, as the vocalist insists on singing like a whiny Billy Corgan about such topics as love and rejection in the most assanine way an album of this style could pull off. And yet, it works so well together that it somehow becomes entertaining! The band also manages to work in a southern feel to some of their songs, much like the track "Flavor", which works very well with this entire package and actually becomes a very enjoyable song. However, not even this, or even the heavier aspects of the material, can save the tracks "Hymen" and "5:30", which is just flat out awful. However, the only solid song on here that is actually enjoyable from start to finish is the very short track "Bounce" that utilizes a very simple guitar riff that goes over and over and has a bit of a rap feel from the vocalist and clearly was meant to get their pit fired up at their shows, even though the lyrics that appear after the second and third chorus are done so nasally that those in the pit who actually did get pumped up would probably have to stop and breathe after laughing so hard. Our Time With You... could have been a decent album if the vocalist weren't trying to incorporate such a heavy Smashing Pumpkins feel to his singing. The music on here isn't anything too surprising, but it definately isn't bad either, leaving you with some Alternative and Mallcore songs that alright, but probably won't salvage more then a once in a few years mercy spin to jog your memory. But yet, this combination of "talent" on this release is still somehow addicting deep down inside. So, basically, Our Time With You... by Relative Ash is like going to see your local dominatrix. You know it's gonna hurt, but you can't help but go back and visit again.
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