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By Jay Rowland

Back in 2005 Aaron Gillespie of Underoath began to slowly reveal his side project, The Almost. The band consists of Aaron Gillespie (vocals/guitar/drums), Jay Vilardi (guitars), Dusty Redmon (guitars), Alex Aponte (bass), and Joe Musten (drums). In 2005 Aaron released two singles; I Mostly Like To Copy People and They Say You Can Never Write I Told You So In A Song But Here I Go. Then in 2007 the band really started to break out on the scene with playing on Paramore’s RIOT! Tour. Since then the band has made quite a footprint in the rock scene. The band is signed with Tooth And Nail Records and has two EPs; No Gift To bring (2008) and Monster (2009), and One album, Southern Weather (2007) under their belts. Now they have treated us to another full length release with the new album, Monster Monster.

The album opens up with the title track, Monster Monster. This is a catchy song right from the beginning. The guitars hook you right up front and continue the catchy tune through the entire song. The percussion compliments the vocals and guitar nicely. The lyrics to this song are just as catchy as the beat. You can’t help but sing along with this once you catch on to the words. As a first song for the album it’s an excellent choice. Monster Monster couples nicely with the next song, Lonely Wheel. Both songs keep the tempo up and moving. Lonely Wheel again has a great, upbeat and catchy tune throughout the song. These first two songs set a great mood for the entire album.

The next song, No I Don’t drops the tempo down with a nice acoustic intro. This song showcases the band’s range nicely. Aaron’s vocals really are amazing in this song. The music only helps to frame his voice and amplify his talent. The entire song has a great melody that I really enjoy. No I Don’t transitions nicely into the next song, Hands as the tempo picks up slightly. This song almost seems designed for live shows with the clapping hands intro. Don’t get me wrong, that doesn’t make it a bad album song. I just think it would reach its maximum potential at a live show. It’s perfect for fan interaction. Not that you can’t clap along at home and I am sure many will choose too. This song makes me want to see The Almost in concert as soon as possible.

The song Books & Books has parts (especially the intro) that remind me of some of Bush’s older songs. That growl that Aaron lets out at the beginning is great. The guitar parts are very 90’s grunge, which is nice for the older aged fans such as myself. Even though it has that throwback sound it blends in enough of a newer sound to be their own style. The album closes up with Monster. The songs intro is slightly reminiscent of some old country stuff with that twanging guitar. Aaron again amazes us with his beautiful vocals. The lyrics are thought provoking as he begs the listener if they would help him if he was somehow a monster in their eyes. Would you still help? It really makes you think about how you treat people in your day to day life. It’s a nice slow tempo song to end the album and really drive home a message of acceptance.

This album is very well rounded. The Almost shows off how talented they really are with this sophomore album. Aaron Gillespie’s vocals are amazing throughout the entire album. If you were not a fan before this album, take a listen and I am sure you will be hooked. This album offers a couple different special versions as well as the normal version. If you buy it on iTunes you get the bonus song, Me And Alone. And there is a fan pack Best Buy exclusive which includes West and Wrong as the bonus tracks. So, take your pick and grab a copy.

http://www.myspace.com/thealmost

For Fans Of: Underoath, Anberlin, Saosin, Pierce The Veil

Top Tracks: Monster Monster, Books & Books, Young Again

Rating: 8/10

Track List:

1. Monster Monster
2. Lonely Wheel
3. No I Don’t
4. Hands
5. Young Again
6. Summer Summer
7. Hand Grenade
8. Books & Books
9. Souls On Ten
10. Want To
11. Get Through
12. Monster