Touche Amore – To Beat A Dead Horse – Review

Release Date: October 12th, 2010
Record Label: 6131 Records
Genre: Post-Hardcore

Released last year, Touche Amore‘s latest full-length “…To Beat A Dead Horse,” received better than expected praise from the music community. Before and since, the band has continued their DIY ways with respect to their attitudes, recording, and touring — the last of which has been with headlining acts such as Converge, Strike Anywhere, and Bane to name a few. So when the vinyl release of this album was set to hit stores, I wanted to take a closer look at the bands first step away from their comfort zone 7”s.

One of the first noticeable nuances of Touche Amore on this record is that they aren’t limited to a genre restricted stereotype, seeing that everything from post-hardcore, to traditional hardcore, to punk is displayed up front. The subtle, trickling guitar melodies and crashing drum kit lead to comparisons of bands such as Thursday, while Elliot’s staunch shouts which are both powerful and unsightly lend themselves to a more hardcore persuasion (ie. Converge etc).

The lo-fi production value of “To Beat A Dead Horse” is one that can’t be overlooked because, honestly it sounds like they plugged a mic into their computers and recorded all the tracks live in a garage. And while most might frown when that’s mentioned, having the recording process take on that raw nature does give it an authentic appeal, because even if you can hear missed instrumental queues or sandpaper vocals, it illuminates that nothing is perfect and we should embrace our imprecise motivations. It is a sign to me that Touche Amore are just beginning to mature, as tracks like “Broken Records” sound like reincarnations of “Five Stories Falling,” and look how far Geoff and Thursday have come since then.

On a side note, when I inquired to a friend if they had heard of Touche Amore and their recent release, I was interrupted with the sharp wit that sprang up with “[they are] hardcore for art fags.” And while they do implore a more hearty mixture of shouts and simple riffs in their music, I wouldn’t exactly label them as hardcore — and for the “art fags” remark, my cynical view of most screamo-like bands might have me believing that. Either way, I think that with more time, continued creativity, and a full-length that is longer than 19 minutes, Touche Amore might be able to step out of the shady underbelly of unpolished post-hardcore and carve a trail any way they wish, because “To Beat A Dead Horse” sounds eerily similar to the starting grounds of some of todays most popular bands. ~Staff

Score: 3/5

Track Listing:
1. And Now It’s Happening In Mine
2. Honest Sleep
3. Cadence
4. Throwing Copper
5. Swimming With Sharks
6. History Reshits Itself
7. Suckerfish
8. Broken Records
9. Nine
10. Always Running Never Looking Back
11. Adieux