Emery are no strangers to success, having played thousands of shows all over the world during their career. Having radio success and critical acclaim from each of their albums. "...In Shallow Seas We Sail" brings Emery full circle back to their roots as one of the premier bands in their genre. Combining the intensity that put them on the map, with the experience that years on the road will bring to musicians. Returning to work with Producer Aaron Sprinkle (Anberlin, Mae, Emery "The Question") to create their best sounding record of their career, with the best song writing of their tenure. "...In Shallow Seas We Sail" will not disappoint for old fans and is sure to secure them plenty of new enthusiasts.
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In Shallow Seas We Sail| Posted August 24, 2009
As the follow-up to last year’s 8-song EP, While Broken Hearts Prevail, the latest from Emery can best be summed up as a morality tale, with far-from-subtle warnings about lust, jealousy, immature relationships and the risk of making an idol of one’s “love.” “I fell apart when I fell for you,” states the title song, and as one tends to expect in this cliche-ridden fairy tale of needing love more than living in loving ways, it turns out badly. So badly that the closing emphasis, “Dear Death,” comes in two parts. One is evidently not enough. Lacking depth and a sympathetic narrative, it’s hard to hear five angry young men denouncing failed love in music that longs for the climactic rage that this kind of “post-hardcore” seems designed to unleash, and not hear this as misogynistic, or at the very least anti-romantic. After 22 years of marriage it would be silly to say I can relate to the emotional nastiness that Seas We Sail aims for, but I have to admit they warn you up front that their approach will remain “shallow.” Musically, they fare better than they do lyrically. Going back and forth between full-throated metal roaring rage and a more melodic sing-songy approach of the average emo band … which may be the point; to reveal the inane cliches in emo’s deification of love. Unfortunately, they fail to acknowledge the inane cliches of modern post-hardcore metal. They, and the music, would benefit from greater complexity, and an appreciation for the subtleties that any honest appraisal of a fully engaged loving human relationship always requires. [Tooth & Nail] Brian Quincy Newcomb
This review has been reprinted on NRT with permission from HM Magazine. Click here to visit HMMagazine.com today!
5/5| Posted September 15, 2010
Any fans that were lost when Emery released their I'm Only A Man album will be won back with this album. Emery goes back to their roots and delivers an album that matches the intensity of their debut The Weak's End and the mainstream sound of The Question. It's as if they put those albums sounds in a blender and this was the result. In Shallow Seas We Sail is a wonderful album filled with great upbeat songs and lyrics that really get us to stop and think. This is a really good album that will win back fans and garner new fans alike.
We all feel real inside our skin...| Posted August 21, 2010 with selfish hearts that hide our sin
Out of the fourteen songs on In Shallow Seas We Sail, there are only two that are not filled with teen-like angst over relationships in some form or another. Bare with me, I am going to go horribly off topic for a second. I have been out of my teens for a few years, I have never had a dating relationship go terribly wrong, and I am engaged to be married shortly. Needless to say, I find it difficult to personally relate with most of the lyrics here. Yet, in spite of not having any direct application towards my life. I still cannot stop listening to this album.
Without a doubt in my mind, this is Emery's best record musically. They take the very best aspects of every album to date and compile them into one smooth-flowing collection here. The screams most identifiable with The Weak's End are back in full force here, even introducing multiple layers of screaming for the first time on an album (something that has always been present during their live shows with three different band members screaming different lines). The polish and stylings of the album are most similar to The Question, while also maintaining the best parts of Toby and Devin's vocal work from I'm Only a Man. Perhaps the greatest feat is how seamlessly it all fits together. Songs like Cutthroat Collapse, Curbside Goodbye, The Smile, The Face gracefully tread back and forth through beautiful melodies and fits of screaming, and it all works amazingly well.
Lyrically, as well as musically, a lot of the songs tie together and compliment each other. Although the content it self is nothing terribly profound, you can sense the band's intricate craftsmanship at work here in the background with the same themes and similar phrases running through each song. Following along with the album title, themes incorporating seas, ships, sailing, floating, and drowning cross through several different songs, often with multiple references in each song. Even the smile and the face of a deceptive significant other garners repeated mentions in The Smile, The Face, Edge of the World, and The Butcher's Mouth.
Even with the focus on relationships, In Shallow Seas We Sail is not totally devoid of lyrics without significant meaning for all. A Sin to Hold Onto speaks of lust and not giving into temptation... granted, it is not as clear-cut as in The Question. Emery has never been one to shy away from questionable content in their lyrics when targetting specific subjects. I think the best examples for how to appropriately handle this was shown in previous songs such as So Cold I Could See My Breath and Don't Bore Us, Get to the Chorus. On the other hand, I think they crossed the line with their depictions in Can't Stop the Killer and Story about a Man with a Bad Heart. I don't think making your audience cringe due to lyrical content is necessary to accomplish getting a hard-lined message across. All of that to say, I feel that A Sin to Hold Onto is entirely appropriate and delivers a poignant message.
Still, the lyrical highlight of the album has to be Inside Our Skin. In many ways it serves as a literary sequel to Listening to Freddie Mercury, whose message included the statement that our sinning hearts make us equal. The message here is that in spite of our best intentions, we all hide sin under the surface and pretend to be something that we're not. Emery calls on us to be who we were meant to be through a term that is itself used throughout the Bible (Jeremiah 6:29, Zechariah 13:9, Malachi 3:2-3), which delivers a strong inspiring message.
Wisdom light my way into the dark
Your words are the melody that carries me
We can't make a change until we know who we are
What burns? The fire refining me
While not Emery's pinnacle for lyrics and message, I believe that In Shallow Seas We Sail far surpasses each of their previous records with the music here. If you liked the screams from The Weak's End and the vocal highlights of I'm Only a Man then look no further, you need to pick this album up now.
My Highlights:The Butcher's Mouth, In Shallow Seas We Sail, The Smile The Face
If God is good, then what are we?
There is no plant without a seed
When morning comes, will we believe
All that was lost can be retrieved?
You say you're good, then let me see
A faith is dead without the deed
How can we fall if we believe?
Let's be who we were meant to be
Top 3 Album for 2009!!!| Posted February 25, 2010
This album is incredible! I have always liked "Emery" but this album made me love them. The album starts with normal Emery sound with "Cutthroat Collaspe" and follows that right into "Curbside Goodbye". Both tracks mix the screaming and singing perfectly. The third track is where the album really takes off and leads up to the best track on the album, the title track, "In The Shallow Seas We Sail", which has a guest vocal with producer Aaron Sprinkle. The album flows from one song to the next without missing a beat and is best if can be listened to in one setting but offers enough diversity with each song could that each can stand by itself if needed. The album finally ends on "Dear Death Par 1 and 2" which is a great closer and will leave singing it all day long. The lyrically contect with prefectly placed insturments and amazing production make this one album to not be missed for 2009!
And if you are like me, you will go back and listen to your old Emery albums and see what you missed out on or go out and buy the old albums to catch up.
i was iffy on the purchase| Posted October 28, 2009
I remember going to the store and having the urge to buy a cd just for the heck of it. I was like hmm..which one should i buy?.. i came across Emery's In Shallow Seas We Sail and i thought..what if i dont like it?
i purchased it anyway after never hearing the footage before and when i popped the cd in my car i was not one bit dissapointed.
They have great melody lines and awesome choruses..it makes you want to sing with them..It puts you in a mood...which is awesome..:)
Emery is back with a vengeance!| Posted June 23, 2009
Alright, I must admit that I was not very excited about this cd, because like many Emery fans I thought it would sound like their last album "I'm only a man" which was a little dissapointing in my opinion since it did not capture the energy and the "essence" of the first two Emery cd's. Well I was wrong, I bought it the day it came out and it has been playing on my iPod continuosly ever since. Emery did go back to what catapulted them into the national "Emo" scene. The lyrics are strong and the music is hard, it kind of took me back to their awesome and in my humble opinion their best album "The weak's end". Emery took elements from every one of their previous records and threw it in a blender to come up with the distinctive and familiar sound that made them one of the best rock bands in Christian music today. Every song tells a story of heartbreaks, mixed emotions and ultimately redemption. It is hard to pick just one song that stands out since most of the songs in this record are solid and very well crafted. Opposed to what many think about this cd, I would say that this is one of their best records yet, second just to their first album.
two thumbs up & highly recommended!
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