A few months ago in Scene Point Blank's Mid Year feature I mentioned that Paramnesia Records had been the record label of the year up to that point, and that I was looking forward to their next release by In First Person. That release is now here, and with it comes the solidification of my belief that Paramnesia is the label of the year.
The first word that comes to mind when seeing and hearing this release is epic. Not epic in the sense that it seems like every band today is being called epic, but epic in the sense that this release has one of the most stunningly beautiful layouts of the year, with great hardcore music to accompany it. So epic, in fact, that two reviews are needed, one just for the layout, and one for the music itself.
If you don't buy vinyl, it would be in your best interests to have Lost Between Hands Held Tight be the first album you buy. Besides the fact that each vinyl version comes with a free CD version of the album, the LP is one of the most intricate and personal DIY releases to come out in years. 500 records, each of them hand glued, screened, and folded by Mike of Paramnesia and a small number of friends, with 500 more CD's given the same treatment. Each copy comes with a lyric sheet that comes with lyrics, explanations, inspirational quotes, and messages from each member of the band stating where they are in their lives and what their mindset was going into the release.
The music itself is pummeling and angry hardcore from a three-piece band whose members have some of the most impressive resumes in music today. While every member of the band sings, guitar duties are taken care of by Tom Schlatter, member of bands like You and I, The Assistant, This Ship Will Sink, and most recently Wrong Day to Quit. Benn Roe, who plays bass, has been in great but unfortunately mostly short-lived bands like A Petal Fallen, The Holy Fucking Spirit, as well as his other current band, Pyramids. Drumming duties are taken care of by Vanessa Espinal, who provides the band with amazing female vocals to accompany those of Tom and Benn. The end result of the members and their previous influences is an explosion of raging socially and politically conscience hardcore music, centered around the distrust we have of others.
The vocals from In First Person are very comparable to those of Wrong Day to Quit, as each band features fast, pummeling screams that are accompanied by guttural yelps and at times melodic singing. Each member of the band sings, usually two or three at a time, and most of the time the vocals are intertwined together, and then merged together with each band member singing together as one to the backdrop of crushing bass and drums. Each song is about a struggle, whether it be personal struggle, or the struggle we fight every day against societal norms and political policies. In the appropriately named "Kanye West Was Right," Tom sings about the response to Hurricane Katrina:
I just don't understand why this country doesn't see that it depends whose lives are on the line to gauge how quickly they'll react. Does it take one day? Does it take two days? Does it take three days? Not for the world trade center. There's no difference. We sit and ponder this, another point for the upper class.
In a scene where it seems like everyone is liberal but very few take direct action, Lost Between Hands Held Tight is a fresh breath of air, an album that questions not only the policies of those in power, but also questions why we as citizens sit back and let it happen.
While every band that has a song over eight minutes long is being called epic now a days, Lost Between Hands Held Tight truly is an epic release, put out by the an amazing record label and featuring some of the most positive and talented members of the hardcore community today. While epic may be a grandiose term, Lost Between Hands Held Tight is a grand release worthy of its title.
