It seems a though Codeseven has fallen asleep. Then they decided it would be a good time to go into the studio and record their Equal Vision debut, Dancing Echoes/Dead Sounds. The opening track “La Memoire Reincarnee” is weary and heavy-eyed, foretelling the premise for the rest of the album: dead to the world. Okay, so maybe I am being a little harsh, but Jeff Jenkin’s vocals come across as more adult contemporary/easy listening than anything.
It’s hard to believe that Codeseven’s current touring agenda has them billed with such acts as Norma Jean and Vaux. However, as any well versed Codeseven fan would know, Dead Sounds is just the latest step in their departure of these post-hardcore times. The music is ambient, light, tripped-out, and sleepy. From the beginning of the LP to the last track “Sunflower”, the songs float seamlessly together as one giant mass. This mass of sound is a bit hard to swallow, but after a couple of listens, Dead Sounds can grow on a person.
The slushy, humming sound created over 12 tracks catches me like Bjork’s 2001 release Vespertine did. As a listener, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of such a huge wave of sound. Eventually, it grew on me, but I still am not too fond of Jenkins’s hard to swallow vocals, as to where Bjork’s profoundly obtuse voice is soothing.
Overall, I think Codeseven’s intent here is genuine; whether or not their target audience of teen post-hardcore kids will see that is a different story.
Equal Vision Records
