"Great Lakes = Great Album"

The Gorgeous - Great Lakes
Spare me your rants about how The Gorgeous are just another trendy
metal-core band, and actually listen to Great Lakes, their first full-length
put out on Distort, along with the likes of the ever-popular Alexisonfire,
and The Bled.

This five-set from Kelowna BC, are reminiscent of old Eighteen Visions,
and have an undeniable southern metal sound (just listen to King of the
Delta Blues). Sure, they have their typical breakdowns and blast-beats, but very few bands are able to pull off the delicate balance of melodic breaks, and heavy instrumentals. Their lyrics and song titles can be witty as hell, with tracks like Dumb and Dahmer, and this only adds to the band’s catchiness.

With lyrics like, “I love making music, but it’s becoming routine,” The Gorgeous seem to be fighting against their often predictable musical genre. It’s obvious they don’t want to be lumped into any musical category whatsoever, and Great Lakes proves it. Their first song, aptly named Lake Ontario, sets the tone for the rest of the album. With a long build-up, the song starts, and doesn’t take a break until you are begging for one. With heavy guitars, and powerful vocals, The Gorgeous know exactly what they are doing.

Even though their live set is tight, Great Lakes can sound raw at times. I used to think it was due to sub-par recordings, but the more I listened, the more I realized that the slightly rough recordings fit perfectly with the raw lyrics. With The Gorgeous, there is no sugar coating anything. Their lyrics are blunt and honest, with lines like, “Face down, ass up...Is this really how you like to fuck?”. Front-man, Jordan Daniel, simply says things which we are all thinking, but just don’t have the balls to say.

There isn’t one song on the album that you’ll want to skip, and when it’s over, you’ll probably want to play it again. I’m quite sure anyone who has ever been in my car lately will know that The Gorgeous have been in my cd player for weeks. I should apologize for that, but I’m actually doing them a favour. Even though the album is under 40 minutes, Great Lakes has what it takes to be one my favourite albums of the year.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to see The Gorgeous yet, I’m not too sure what you are waiting for. They are touring with their label-mates, The Cancer Bats, who definitely won’t let you leave the venue unless you’ve had an amazing time. You can check them out at the Kathedral on March 4th, but if you can’t make that then don’t worry, just check their show postings in one of the links provided below. You can listen to an album as much as you like, but until you see the band, you really haven’t had the full experience.

www.teamdistort.com
www.myspace.com/thegorgeous
www.thegorgeousthrowrocks.com