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The Five Albums That Defined Our Emo Experience
So full disclosure, I’m not wholly convinced that I’m actually passed my emo phase. Just the opening note of My Chemical Romance’s ‘Welcome To The Black Parade’ is enough to send me spiralling back down the rabbit hole and in search of my tightest black jeans and the wife’s blackest mascara.
Just kidding, I have my own.
I’m sure the same can be said for most of you out there, that the post-hardcore wave that took the scene by storm in the early to mid 2000’s known more commonly as “Emo” formed a massive part of your musical upbringing. Speaking of my own experience, before I left the scene in favour of my metalcore obsession the following five albums made up the soundtrack to my Emo experience.
5. The Used – The Used (2002)
Coming in at number five, The Used’s self-titled debut is damn near perfect. Fresh from the addition of Bert McCracken on vocals, ‘The Used’ has everything a post-hardcore fan could want from a release. Aside from the well-placed screams and the outstanding instrumentation, ‘The Used’ has the perfect blend of tracks full of dark angst and tracks that are surprisingly optimistic. Some standout tracks include ‘The Taste of Ink’, ‘Buried Myself Alive’ and ‘Poetic Tragedy’.4. From first To Last - Dear Diary, My Teen Angst Has a Body Count (2004)
Before Sonny Moore became a household name under the guise of Skrillex, Sonny Moore was known as the vocalist and Emo style icon at the head of From First To Last. Dominating the scene upon their 2004 debut ‘Dear Diary …’ it’s not difficult to say that of all the bands on this list, From first To Last made the most dramatic impact upon the scene, or at very least within my local scene. You only had to look at Myspace impact for prove of their reach. It seemed although almost every profile (including mine) was littered with lyrics like “Guns go Bang!” or “Note to self, I miss you terribly” or as on my profile “I’ll wear your skin as a suit”. For me this album transcended just sound and really structured the aesthetic of my Emo experience. Some standout tracks include ‘Note to self’, ‘Kiss Me, I’m Contagious’ and ‘Ride the Wings of Pestilence’.3. Senses Fail – Still Searching (2006)
A concept album that details the story of a character’s battle with faith, heartbreak and depression that ultimately ends with the character killing themselves in ‘All The Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues’, Senses Fail’s 2006 ‘Still Searching’ literally could not be more Emo. One thing that made this album stand out to me aside from how easily you could sink an afternoon just repeating tracks from this album, was the approach the album took to screaming. Back when screaming was regarded as a necessary metric to judging the quality of an album, Senses Fail used the vocal technique only when it had the most impact on the track. Sounding the most modern of all the albums on this list, the tight instrumentation and the phenomenal production resulted in an album that I simply could not get enough of. Stand out tracks include ‘Can’t Be Saved’, ‘Calling All Cars’ and ‘The priest and the Matador’.2. Silverstein – Discovering The Waterfront (2005)
Obsessed with broken promises, severing ties with loved ones and escaping from the wreckage of car crash relationships, Silverstein’s ‘Discovering The Waterfront’ is as emo as emo can be. Standing out as one of the two big albums that defined my experience, ‘Discovering The Waterfront’ is an emo masterpiece. Delivering crisp screams alongside some truly intelligent songwriting, ‘Discovering The Waterfront’ may not be as “Heavy” as some of the other albums on this list, but in terms of raw emotional intensity this album sits atop the scene as the soundtrack to many first loves and long nights on Myspace. Stand out tracks include ‘Smile in your Sleep’, ‘Discovering The Waterfront’ and ‘My Heroine’.1. Hawthorne Heights – The Silence In Black And White
I can’t even begin to fathom the number of spins that this CD received at the hands of my overly emotional teenage self. Filled with pensive instrumentation, hushed solemn cleans and raw screams that consume the mind, ‘The Silence In Black And White’ is an incredible well-composed body of work. Earning the top spot on our list, each track features quiet pensive verses filled with reserved vocal delivery and soothing melody before a rush of urgency flips the track and unleashes a fast-paced chorus and a torrent of emotional screams. Yes, the lyrics come off as stalker-ish and yes, they didn’t have much of a stage presence back then, but with one video for ‘Ohio Is For Lovers’ Hawthorne Heights literally birthed a new wave of black-dressing scene kids and gave structure to the whole of my emo experience. Stand out tracks include ‘Niki FM’, ‘Silver Bullet’ and ‘Ohio Is For Lovers’.