Some of you may recall a band by the name of Renee Heartfelt. They were a fairly short-lived group that released an EP and a full-length before abruptly disbanding a few years back; an unfortunate happening as their 2005 release Death of the Ghost was absolutely stunning. Well, vocalist Pete Appleby has returned with Memorial; so now we can feel a little better about the whole Renee Heartfelt breakup.
Originally intended as two separate 7" EP's, The Creative Process/Berlin, is those two EP's on one piece of wax, five inches larger. The leadoff song is "Who are We to Say?" and it absolutely rocks. I know I sound like your dad trying to sound hip with that wording, but I can't help it. This is Quicksand-homage at its best; in fact it's better than many of those songs too. "Sideways" is a bit more artistic and focuses on the guitars in a more dynamic manner than the preceding track. "Spades" is equally as mesmerizing with its fabulous guitar interplay, and the co-titular track "The Creative Process" rounds out the a-side in stunning fashion that has you craving more - which makes sense given it was supposed to be the end of one of the EP's.
"Berlin" is a stunning build-up and lead-in for "1933" which again mixes the groove-laden post-hardcore sounds of the Revelation catalog with melodic indie rock. The results are truly fantastic and
I'm running out of adjectives here. "Beneath" is a bit more subdued and makes use of the acoustic guitar, helping break up the album's monotony a bit. "Munich" is just as breathtaking as the opening song we heard on the a-side with its driving rhythms and interweaving guitar melodies. The final minute and a half of the song floors me every time I listen to it.
I have no idea why Revelation shelved these 7" releases but I can tell them that they absolutely missed not only the boat, but also the whole damn dock and pretty much anything water-related by not doing so. The Creative Process/Berlin is a stunning display of post-hardcore goodness that has me itching to hear more from Memorial. Hopefully they can churn out a full-length this year; if they do, it'll no doubt be amongst the best of the year.
