Between the Heart and the Synapse

Between the Heart and the Synapse is the debut studio album by American rock band the Receiving End of Sirens, released in 2005 on Triple Crown Records. Between features a repeated lyrical motif in an effort to unify the body of work as a whole.

Between the Heart and the Synapse
Studio album by
The Receiving End of Sirens
ReleasedApril 26, 2005
RecordedLate 2004
GenrePost-hardcore, experimental rock
Length71:34
LabelTriple Crown
ProducerMatt Squire, The Receiving End of Sirens
The Receiving End of Sirens chronology
The Receiving End of Sirens
(2004)		 Between the Heart and the Synapse
(2005)		 The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi
(2007)

Background

The Receiving End of Sirens formed in 2003 by bassist Brendan Brown and guitarist Alex Bars during the pair's first year of college,[1] out of the demise of their band Settle for Nothing.[2] Following two months of writing, they brought in guitarist Nate Patterson, drummer Andrew Cook[1] and vocalist Ben Potrykus.[3] They played their first show in March that year[4] and by August, embarked on a brief tour with Hidden in Plain View.[5] As the band was building in popularity, Brown, Bars and Cook dropped their studies to focus on the band full-time.[6] They spent September writing material for their debut album, which they aimed to release in early 2004. The band played a few shows in October and November, prior to the departure of Potrykus on November 24.[3]

At this point, they had been three months into discussing contract details with major label Atlantic Records.[7] They subsequently spent time writing new songs and searching for a new frontman; Casey Crescenzo joined the group in January 2004.[3] In March, the group shifted their line-up, with Brown, Bars and Crescnezo all sharing vocal duties.[8] They self-released a self-titled EP later in the year, which drew the attention of independent label Triple Crown Records,[9] who promptly signed the band in early October. The band began recording their debut in mid-October.[10] The studio the band worked was connected to a larger room with an orchestra in it. Crescnezo used a microphone and bootlegged what they were playing. He cut up the audio and turned the clips into samples that were added to the album.[11]

Composition

Overview

Between the Heart and the Synapse has been described as a post-hardcore release,[12][13] incorporating elements of punk rock, metal, progressive rock and electronica, and earning comparisons to Coheed and Cambria, Tool,[14] The Artist in the Ambulance (2003)-era Thrice,[12] Refused[15] and the Mars Volta.[16] The band avoid the verse-chorus-verse for the most part, instead opting for free form structures,[12] with the exception of "Planning a Prison Break".[17] The group balanced three-part harmonies with their three different vocalists Brendan Brown (who also plays bass), Alex Bars (who also plays guitar) and Casey Crescenzo (who also plays guitar, keyboards, piano), despite Brown and Bars having similar voices, as well as three-part guitar riffs from Crescenzo, Bars and guitarist Nate Patterson.[17]

The group also incorporated programming, vocal manipulation and programmed drums. Clips of ambient electronic sounds are heard throughout the album;[12] similarly Crescenzo uses screaming throughout the record as well.[17] The album's title – Between the Heart and the Synapse – is taken from a line in "This Armistice". Brown said the record is about a battle with the mind and the, and the ideal representation of one's self and one's actual self.[18] Most of the lyrics were written by Brown and Crescenzo, with some help from Cook;[19] they use wordplay and small instances of alliteration,[12] tackling the themes of love, prison break, war, masturbation, the departure of the group's former frontman, and the tale of Romeo and Juliet.[17]

Tracks

"Planning a Prison Break" sees Crescenzo singing the verse sections, with Brown handling the first chorus, and Bars the second. All three sing the refrain "This is the last night in my body" which is used as a motif during the chorus of the album.[17] Brown explained the line was about being "unsatisfied with how I am living and vowing to my self to never just settle or accept the way I am living."[20] The song, along with parts of "This Armistice", was written when Potrykus was in the band, and subsequently re-worked on with Crescenzo.[21] "The Rival Cycle" utilized the electronic sounds following a breakdown partway through the track.[12] It features two different chorus sections being sung at once.[17] The pop punk-indebted "The Evidence" is followed by "The War of All Against All".[17] It opens with a tribal drum pattern, eventually shifting to a chorus section of changing rhythms and later on, crescendo to its end.[14]

"The War of All Against All" segues into "...Then I Defy You, Stars" with its guitar octaves, slow-tempo percussion backing vocals.[12] It is followed by the piano-driven slow-building track "Intermission"[17] and the hard rock number "This Armistice".[6] "Broadcast Quality" uses pop punk melodies, before shifting into a breakdown,[17] and ending with a choral-esque vocal performance.[12] The up-tempo piano track "Flee the Factory" ends with a jazz-esque interlude that segues into the opening synthesizers of "Dead Men Tell No Tales".[17] The band wrote it about Potrykus; Brown said after he had left, they were "all really scared and felt as though we had dropped everything for this and now it was gone".[7] The penultimate song "Venona" was compared to Thrice, and is followed by the 13-minute closing post-rock track "Epilogue", which features a hidden track.[17]

Release

In January and February 2005, the group toured the US with As Tall as Lions and Cartel.[22] Between the Heart and the Synapse was released on April 26, though independent label Triple Crown Records.[23] It was promoted with a two-month US headlining tour[24] and an appearance at Flipside festival.[25] They went on a three-week stint in May and June with Gatsbys American Dream and the Rocket Summer,[26] leading up to two shows on the Warped Tour.[24] They filmed a video for "Planning a Prinson Break",[27] and continued on Warped until mid-August.[24] Following this, the group joined Acceptance, Cartel and Panic! at the Disco on the Take Cover tour[27] in September and October.[28] On September 20, the "Planning a Prison Break" music video was posted online. In November, the group toured with Alexisonfire, and later played a few shows with Saves the Day and Senses Fail.[27]

In February 2006, a music video was filmed for "This Armistice" in Somers, Connecticut with Crescenzo serving as the director. Brown called his former school principal, who in turn contacted the Recreation Department to get permission to film there.[18] Following this, the group performed on the 2006 Taste of Chaos tour in February and March.[29] Bars fell down a flight of stairs in May, resulting in a stay at the emergency room; the group continued touring in spite of this.[30] Between March and May, the band went on a headlining tour of the US,[31] with support from A Thorn for Every Heart, As Tall as Lions, the Blackout Pact, Yesterdays Rising, My American Heart, I Am the Avalanche and Hit the Lights.[32] During April, the "This Armistice" video debuted on MTV2 and MTVu. The clip featured students and Matt Herzog, formerly of Overlook, which previously featured Brown and Bars. It stars Adrian Amodeo, the group's manager, going through several doorways, before landing at the last one. He then finds himself watching the band performing for some people.[18]

In early May 2006, they performed at The Bamboozle festival.[33] On May 21, the band announced that Crescenzo had left, citing "many factors, personal and creative" as the reasoning; he was temporarily replaced by Ross.[34] Brown and Bars handled vocal duties for the remainder of the year.[2] In June, the band supported Boys Night Out on their headlining Canadian tour.[35] Between June and August, the group supported Circa Survive on their US headlining tour.[36] Following this, they toured the UK with Fightstar.[34] The band performed on the MTV2 Dollar Bill Tour[37] in October and November.[38] Cody Bonnette of As Cities Burn filled Crescenzo's role for three months,[39] before he was replaced by Brian Southall of Boys Night Out,[1] who was previously the group's one-time touring manager.[2] A music video was released for "The Evidence" on January 22, 2007.[40] The album was pressed on vinyl in 2010 with a bonus track "Weightless Underwater".[41] This edition featured new artwork from Matt Adams, who said he had made it after being inspired by the original in college.[42]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[14]
IGN7.8/10[15]
Melodic[16]
Punknews.org[12]
Sputnikmusic5/5[17]

Between the Heart and the Synapse received mixed-to-positive reviews from music critics. Sputnikmusic staff member Rowan5215 found it hard to "nail down just what makes [it] such a goddamn great record."[17] He praised the "amazingly co-ordinated and fierce" three-part vocals, with each member "shining in their own respective rights", while "working as a flawless part of the team".[17] AllMusic reviewer Bret Love said it was a "pretty rare thing" to discover an act who had an original sound; the resulting mixture of various genres created "an engaging aural assault that is uniquely their own."[14] He complimented Squire for doing an "impressive job of capturing" the band's three-part guitar work in a "crisp, clean mix that ensures not a single detail goes unnoticed."[14] IGN's JR said the band were "invested with a capacity for intriguing songwriting and an undeniable musicianship ... The music itself defies comprehensive description"[15] He also astounded by the varying mix of genres: "the sound is too ethereal, too uniquely nuanced."[15]

Punknews.org staff member Brian Shultz considered its length "a tad overambitious for a debut", though the band were able "to keep your attention intact for the disc's duration."[12] He enjoyed hearing an act that "actually properly utiliz[es] a three-guitar attack", and summarized the album as a "mildly enjoyable and an impressive debut" displaying a "ton of potential and likewise developing talent."[12] Kaj Roth of Melodic said the group simply followed trends and performed "what a thousand other bands does today", adding "nothing new to the genre".[16] He mentioned that if the listener was "already tired" of this kind of music, "don't bother to look this way."[16] He criticized the album's length: "70 minutes is way too long for any emo band,I just can´t take his tense vocals more than 45 mins."[16]

Track listing

All songs are written by Andrew Cook, Alex Bars, Brendan Brown, Casey Crescenzo, Nate Patterson.

No.TitleLength
1."Prologue"0:42
2."Planning a Prison Break"5:22
3."The Rival Cycle"5:34
4."The Evidence"4:24
5."The War of All Against All"6:30
6."...Then I Defy You, Stars"5:11
7."Intermission"4:36
8."This Armistice"6:00
9."Broadcast Quality"4:53
10."Flee the Factory"5:24
11."Dead Men Tell No Tales"4:12
12."Venona"5:38
13."Epilogue" (includes hidden track)13:09
Total length:71:34
Vinyl bonus track
No.TitleLength
14."Weightless Underwater"4:03

Credits


  • PJ Tepe - guest vocals on Planning A Prison Break, This Armistice, Epilogue
  • Justin Williams - guest vocals on Planning A Prison Break, This Armistice, Epilogue
  • Jani Zubkovs - guest vocals on Planning A Prison Break, This Armistice, Epilogue
  • Archie Jamieson - guest vocals on Planning A Prison Break, This Armistice, Epilogue
  • Anthony Green - guest vocals on Flee The Factory, Epilogue

References
  1. "The Receiving End Of Sirens". Triple Crown Records. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  2. Staddon, Tristan (November 29, 2007). "The Receiving End Of Sirens: Feeling The Space". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  3. "News". The Receiving End of Sirens. Archived from the original on February 2, 2004. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  4. "The Receiving End of Sirens". The Receiving End of Sirens. Archived from the original on April 12, 2003. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  5. "News". The Receiving End of Sirens. Archived from the original on August 3, 2003. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  6. Schatz, Juliana (July 2, 2007). "TREOS rock afterHOURS". The Huntington News. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  7. "Hey guys, i know you get this a lot but i wanna... - The Receiving End of Sirens". Tumblr. September 30, 2010. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  8. "News". The Receiving End of Sirens. Archived from the original on June 9, 2004. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  9. Loftus, Johnny. "The Receiving End of Sirens | Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 3, 2019. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  10. Paul, Aubin (October 7, 2006). "The Receiving End Of Sirens signs to Triple Crown". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  11. Karan, Tim (August 30, 2013). ""It's an attempt to grow": Casey Crescenzo on composing his symphony". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  12. Shultz, Brian (May 6, 2005). "The Receiving End Of Sirens - Between The Heart And The Synapse". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  13. Parker, Chris (August 24, 2005). "Eight Days a Week". Indy Week. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  14. Love, Bret. "Between the Heart & the Synapse - The Receiving End of Sirens | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  15. JR (April 26, 2005). "The Receiving End Of Sirens - Between The Heart And The Synapse". IGN. Archived from the original on February 8, 2012. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  16. Roth, Kaj (July 3, 2005). "The Receiving End of Sirens - Between the Heart and the Synapse". Melodic. Archived from the original on September 28, 2017. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
  17. Rowan5215 (March 17, 2014). "Review: The Receiving End of Sirens - Between the Heart and the Synapse". Sputnikmusic. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  18. Misthal, Jennifer (February 6, 2006). "Lights, camera, rock! Somers is scene of music video shoot that will eventually appear on MTV". Journal Inquirer. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  19. "Multiple questions.. - The Receiving End of Sirens". Tumblr. September 29, 2010. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  20. Spence D. (July 11, 2005). "The Receiving End Of Sirens Q&A". IGN. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  21. "Hey Guys, Just reminiscing over the past... - The Receiving End of Sirens". Tumblr. September 30, 2010. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  22. Shultz, Brian (January 13, 2005). "As Tall As Lions on tour with The Receiving End Of Sirens; Cartel on most dates". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  23. "Between the Heart & the Synapse - The Receiving End of Sirens | Release Info". AllMusic. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  24. "The Receiving End of Sirens". Myspace. Archived from the original on April 14, 2005. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  25. Paul, Aubin (April 8, 2005). "Flipside Festival announces lineup". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  26. Paul, Aubin (May 11, 2005). "Gatsbys American Dream / The Rocket Summer / The Receiving End of Sirens". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on June 24, 2015. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  27. "News". Triple Crown Records. Archived from the original on December 24, 2004. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  28. "Upcoming Shows". PureVolume. Archived from the original on September 9, 2005. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  29. "Taste Of Chaos confirms date-by-date band lineups". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. January 13, 2006. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
  30. Paul, Aubin (March 28, 2006). "The Receiving End of Sirens guitarist injured in fall". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  31. IGN Music (March 22, 2006). "The Receiving End Of Sirens Headline In '06". IGN. Archived from the original on June 14, 2012. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  32. Paul, Aubin (March 8, 2006). "The Receiving End of Sirens headlining in the US". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  33. Paul, Aubin (March 9, 2006). "AFI, Desole, Pink Spiders, Alexisonfire, Riverboat Gambers, Envy on the Coast added to Bamboozle". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  34. Shultz, Brian (May 21, 2006). "The Receiving End of Sirens and Casey Crescenzo part ways". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  35. Paul, Aubin (April 20, 2006). "Boys Night Out announce headlining dates". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  36. Paul, Aubin (May 7, 2006). "Circa Survive / The Recieving [sic] End of Sirens / Days Away / YouInSeries". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  37. "The Receiving End of Sirens". Myspace. Archived from the original on February 28, 2007. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  38. "Dates for 30 Seconds To Mars/Head Automatica tour revealed". Alternative Press. September 8, 2006. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  39. "I had read somewhere a long time ago that Cody... - The Receiving End of Sirens". Tumblr. October 17, 2010. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  40. Alternative Distribution Alliance (January 22, 2007). The Receiving End Of Sirens - The Evidence [Official Music Video]. Archived from the original on May 6, 2016. Retrieved July 27, 2020 – via YouTube.
  41. Between the Heart and the Synapse (sleeve). he Receiving End of Sirens. Triple Crown Records. 2010. MMX 03058-1.CS1 maint: others (link)
  42. "thanks for putting up more of the vinyls + posters... - The Receiving End of Sirens". Tumblr. November 15, 2010. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.