Dear Jane I... ...Hope This Reaches You In Time

Emo/Screamo is a genre that has been embraced by many an angsty teen, and maligned by many a snobby critic. Now while I am definitely more the latter than the former, I have always enjoyed many of the artists that are usually labelled under the contoversial term "emo" or, the even more criticized "screamo". On their website, Toronto's Dear Jane, I... are described as "Jimmy Eat World" on amphetamines. I don't know if that's entirely accurate, but Dear Jane, I... do have a lot more to offer than many of the contemporaries that they are likely to be compared to. Most emo bands are too wrapped up in their own angst to be overly concerned with being literate (and, no, I don't consider Bright Eyes to be emo). But I consider DJI's music to be poetry wrapped up in equal parts, emo, punk rock, hardcore and, if you listen carefully, even a touch of jazz (listen to that bass line during the spoken word section of Stayed Up All Night). Their new CD ...Hope This Reaches You In Time ranges from some very strong melodies (Wish Black Wishes) to some crank it up to 11 punk rock (Smell Ambition). And one of my favorite musical moments of the past year is appoximately 2:15 into the song "Stayed Up All Night", when that powerful riff starts up, than the steady drum beat kicks in and lead vocalist Jeremy Dove starts singing the refrain "Her breathing is silent but her screams are filled with crashes, she flinches, she flinches". Ahhh. Now that's a moment.

Listen to both "Wish Black Wishes" and "Stayed Up all Night" here.
See the video for "Stayed Up All Night"
Purchase the CD "Hope This Reaches You In Time.
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