Reviews

A possible alternate title for this collection of rarities, odds and ends, and reissues would be “Around The Time The Sun Went Out.”  That however lacks a certain charm, and Newark Delaware’s BSF are not a band to skimp on charm.  Before The Eulogy runs the gamut from  under polished home recordings to classy studio joints.  It is a lopsided collection, a mixture of squeals of glee (The first recording of Vehicle!) to shudders of disappointment (low-fi and tape hiss?).  However, the scales more often than not tilt towards indispensable.
 
The first Boysetsfire demo tape that opens the collection shows a band of great potential.  Already in songs like ‘One Subject Notebook,” there is a taut and driving rhythm section, already Nathan sings beautifully and screams like one possessed.  The recording quality, however, keeps it from being something to revisit often. By demo number two  (PREMONITION.CHANGE.REVOLT) they have already written on of the defining songs of 90’s emocore, Vehicle.  Coupling a haunting melodic chorus with thunderous hardcore verses, BSF set the bar that screamo bands even now fail while trying to duplicate.
 
By the next touchstone of the collection, the ‘Consider’ 7 inch, BSF had moved far out of the basement, but still didn’t know how big a 7 inch was.  (From the booklet): “Nathan was unsure, so we got out the tape measure.”  Oh yeah, and they expanded their sound, pushing towards a more complex but instantly recognizable style that would culminate with their next release, the genre exploding The Day The Sun Went Out.
 
In Chrysalis is the next inclusion, and it stands as one of my favorite BSF releases.  Overt politics, great two step breakdowns, intelligent lyrics, terrific production - and that’s just the first track.  Culminating in the starkly melodic Cavity, the EP is the perfect bridge between TDTSWO and After The Eulogy.
 
Two covers (‘Holiday In Cambodia’ < ‘Rocket Man’) and an A-side, and then rare stuff.  ‘No Time Safe’ starts off sweet but turns septic, as Nathan and crew take their mid tempo clean music and turn it upside down in the chorus, creating dense layers of guttural screams and dark guitar bursts.  The first use of the lyrics, “This crying, this screaming”?  The final track, ‘Fashion As A Weapon,’ is an acoustic plea for recognition, made very real by Nathan’s impassioned delivery.  “Bucket Of Rain” and “With Cold Eyes” do not stand out, however.
 
This is a great compendium for fans, missing only the spoken word at the end of the Suckerpunch Training EP, and the Equal Vision released split with Snapcase ( containing the first version of Unspoken Request).  However, given BSF’s great roots and DIY ethics, I expected a little more of a package, photos, pictures of old BSF t-shirts, something more than a quickly written and slightly bitter series of comments about each release.
 
People unfamiliar with Boysetsfire’s formidable roots might be better off starting out with the recently rereleased The Day The Sun Went Out, or even the album that bookends this material, After The Eulogy. Whatever you do, for dire life’s sake stay away from Tomorrow Come Today. Boysetsfire has made some great music, a lot of it contained here, but the major label misstep is better left out in the snow where it belongs.