By appearance, name, and, for that matter, any conceivable aspect other than actual recorded music, one would peg Seymour Glass as a cookie-cutter emo band. One would expect their debut album, entitled Note to Self, to feature the same type of unoriginal and downright boring formulas we've come to expect from the emo scene.  The formula involves the following: Music filled to the brim with acoustic guitar-derived melodies under vocals that go from a broken-hearted whine to a slightly different broken-hearted whine all the way to a climactic broken-hearted whine somewhere at the climax of the song.  One would expect Seymour glass to sound like any of the countless other acts that are capitalizing on this explosion of this particular sub-genre of rock.

However, these assumptions one would make would be very wrong. For starters, Seymour Glass is willing to take risks by employing song structures that are far from predictable, and lead singer Artie Kitchen successfully avoids the annoying qualities that plague his peers’ obnoxious endeavors. In addition, guitarist Steve Pepe throws in guitar melodies that retain a catchy energy without sounding trite and overused.  One of the most intriguing things about this group is the heavy use of acoustic piano into several of the tracks.  This skilled and original use of piano as a driving force resurrects an art that has been lost in the current age of all-too-generic pop-rock. With songs that vary in tone from somber "Everytime" to innovative "Broken" to just plain rockin’ "Hypervent", Seymour Glass breaks through the songwriting drought that for far too long has been plaguing the rest of the industry. Though not different enough not to be lassoed into the emo pop-rock genre, they definitely stand a head above the rest on basis of their originality alone.  With a pop-conscious mentality, a rock n' roll heart, and an imaginative brain, Note to Self transcends its light-rock pretensions, putting collectives like Dashboard Confessional and the rest of the laughable emo scene in their place.

Sure to please: Emo rockers with appreciation of musical skill,  Pianists, myself.

Sure to disappoint: People who hate songs about heartbreak, metal fans, people who think piano isn't meant to rock (aka idiots).
 

• Visit the Official website.
• Listen to samples and Purchase this CD online

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