Reviews

There are only so many things to be said about the post-hardcore movement. Done and done again. That's one thing you could say. It's unfortunate because there's nothing wrong with these bands, it's just that there are far too many of them and after a while most of them just blend together into one big pool of catchy song titles and flashy websites. To be quite frank, I didn't even want to put this album in because I was sorely unimpressed with their former release, "Savan In Super Pursuit Mode." Alas, this sophomore release is a genuine improvement in quality and makes for a solid yet ultimately unimpressionable record that even with its catchy hooks, clear cut vocals and occasional surprising twist, falls too easily into a category that has become too big for its britches.
 
At four minutes and forty two seconds, the first song on "Romantic Wealth," is terrific for the first three minutes and redundant for the next minute forty two.  The vocals on this track are purely electrifying; it's a real dance number. I should probably mention that Lorene Drive has vocal coaches. Actually, I just read that on the CD, so I guess that to sound this good you need professional assistance. I whole heartedly believe in voice lessons. It's not so much about learning to sing better, but about understanding pitch and harmony and being able to reach full potential. Singer and bassist, Daniel Murillo, has improved miraculously on this record.  Some of the songs on here just aren't doing him justice. 
 
Moving on, "Let It Go," is a typical emo-hardcore song, and it's really boring and also too long.  "A Song In The Key Of Sex," is one of my favorite tracks, because it has a neat breakdown even though it isn't really the kind of song to stick a breakdown in. "For The Rest Of Us," is a below par piano ballad where Murillo really has a chance to showcase his abilities, but he just croons a whole bunch about telling someone not to light a cigarette. That's okay, nine out of ten isn't bad.
 
"Romantic Wealth," is a perfect album for all you Hawthorne Heights, Glassjaw, My Chemical Romance fans out there and I know that there are plenty of those. I honestly believe that Lorene Drive is a step up from all those bands, except Glassjaw, they're way better. But definitely the rest of them.  Hey, check it out and decide for yourselves.