It seems like the amount of music that I've been covering lately of bands that have been on long hiatuses only to return with much anticipated and yet mildly, and sometimes not so mildly, disappointing albums has become a recurring theme. So you can't hold it against me if my immediate reaction after hearing that Blindside would be releasing a new album was one of skepticism before ever hearing a note. It has, after all, been six years since we've seen a full length album from these Swedish rockers. The band’s last effort was the wildly uneven, but still entertaining, The Great Depression. After a half hearted EP came out with little fanfare in 2007, Blindside sort of faded away like so many other post-hardcore bands seemed to after the genre’s money well dried up. The boys of Blindside were too indebted to their project to let it die so easily though. This is a band that has not had a single lineup change in their 17 years together, a band that can be more compelling and original than most any hard rock act in modern music. So was my skepticism justified? Not entirely so.
On With Shivering Hearts We Wait, the band tries their best to get back into a musical rhythm; something that we’ve certainly learned is not easy to do after a long hiatus. The results here are mixed. It’s not a great cohesive record, but then again Blindside has been better known for their explosive live shows and a handful of memorable tunes more so than creating great albums. Even the band’s best full lengths such as A Thought Crushed My Mind and Silence had their fair share of filler tracks. With every commendable song the new album contains, like “My Heart Escapes” and “Our Love Saves Us,” there is an out of place throwaway tune like “Monster on the Radio” and “Cold.”
The album begins with one of the heaviest tracks on the disc, “There Must Be Something in the Water.” If you were of the opinion that Christian Lindskog had the best hardcore scream this side of Dustin Kensrue, savor this song and the equally as heavy “Bring Out Your Dead,” you won’t hear it much elsewhere. Shivering Hearts is no doubt a far cry from Blindside’s melodically chaotic origins; but after 17 years of screaming the way he so often did, I guess it’s not that big of a surprise that Lindskog would want to rest his vocal chords. He hasn’t completely abandoned his trademark emotional scream though. On the interesting track “Withering,” featured toward the tail end of the album, the build up of shimmering piano to heavy guitars and eventually Lindskog’s throaty outpour is exhilarating. Like in past releases, the band adds an ample amount of strings and electronic sounds to spice up the blaring electric guitars. The album’s closing track, “There Must Be Something in the Wind,” runs with both of these elements. After a steady Simon Grenehed guitar lick lays down a platform for which Lindskog can sing his heartfelt poetry, the chorus kicks in with sweeping strings and heavily muffled drum machine like percussion. By the song’s 5:30 mark, the band segues into a full out techno jam, a possible nod to the techno track that was glued on to the end of their 2000 album A Thought Crushed My Mind. At over seven minutes, “There Must Be Something in the Wind” is both the album’s longest song and one of its most interesting.
Any new music from a band that can obviously still perform and compose at a high level is always welcome. Though long time fans may miss the heaviness that is lacking on the album and others may lament upon the rather thick layer of gloss that covers the production, there is enough to enjoy on With Shivering Hearts We Wait to warrant a listen. While some other band's come back albums often seem to exist for either a paycheck or a shot at regaining fleeting glory, Blindside still seem to record for the love of the music. The type of passion and emotion that Christian Lindskog and his bandmates purvey to a listener is palpable, and because of this I think that Blindside will be able to write and record music that is worth a listen for as long as they feel like doing so.
"With Shivering Hearts We Wait" is on sale June 7, 2011 from INO Records.
