Elliott: U.S. Songs

If you want to see where so much of today’s emo b.s. on modern rock radio comes from, look no further than Elliott’s debut album. These guys manage to take what is now a tired genre of music and move it into a more melodic place. Yeah, I know emo sucks, and blah blah, but I’ll go to my grave defending some of this stuff (I said some). Sure, some of Elliott’s stuff is kinda melodramatic and a little esoteric in its swirliness, but the lead singer, Chris Higdon, remains steadfast in his passion. Looking at it in the context of today’s music and not in the perspective of 1998 when it came out isn’t really a fair comparison, as so many bands have adopted this style (both before and after). If you want to call them a direct descendent of bands like Quicksand and Sunny Day Real Estate, or even Seaweed, that’s fine, but they have something going for them on their own accord. I will not give in to musical snobbery! There are some tight tracks on this album, anchored by good, rhythmic drumming, decent hooks and a lead singer with an infectious (in a non-flu kind of way) voice.