Emery defines an extreme separation between their screaming and singing
sides on Weak's End, their debut for Tooth & Nail. Opener "Walls," and the
similarly-arranged "Ponytail Parades" do occasionally burst forth with
hardcore-inspired screeching. But the louder, crazier moments are tightly
regimented from the tracks' normal baroque and dreamy flow. The definition
seems like a conscious effort to make a strong statement while still
making accessible, emo-inflected music. Emery doesn't really make clear
what that statement is; they prefer to suggest that it's there before
drifting into opaque lyricisms that mull over personal pain and a general
world-weariness. "By All Accounts [Today Was a Disaster]," "Fractions,"
and "Note From Which a Chord Is Built" form an ambitious midsection for
the record — they're impeccably-paced mini epics, even if they don't
amount to much in the end. Best might be "Under Serious Attack," which
blends rousing post-hardcore emotion with weird jazzy interlude...
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