The Forms

 Genre is a funny thing. More often than not it seems like bands get lumped in with whoever they tour with more than who they sound like, or are allowed to define their own genre when it seems unclear. I would say that this is especially the case with emo, as unwanted a label as it often is, but I'm not sure that's really true. Try to define the edges of indie rock, for example. Very few bands are genre defining, and perhaps only they fit neatly in the box they created.

And then sometimes there are bands which are clearly of a particular genre that just somehow slip through the cracks. In the case of New York's The Forms, I think it might have something to do with the semi-mainstream attention they garnered, including a glowing review for their first album in Pitchfork. They were crowned the next big indie rock band by a bunch of indie rock outlets, and that fact largely papered over their musical inclinations. I have never seen Icarus on a list of emo albums, nor talked about when post-SDRE works like The End of the Rings Wars are discussed. Somehow, this album has the stamp of indie rock all over it, this despite the fact that multiple review outlets drew direct comparisons to Sunny Day Real Estate (The Morning Call had the grace to at least call it "emo-rock," whatever that is).

If this seems a little strange given the comparisons to SDRE, it's absolutely absurd when you've actually listened to the damn thing. Released in 2003, Icarus is mathy, yes, and sometimes art rock-ish, and occasionally aggressive, and maybe even a bit avant-garde, but at all times it is a combination of Diary and LP2, a soaring, operatic work of midwest emo.

The band's follow-up work may also account for their lack of presence in the emo consciousness. Their second album, a self-titled work, sees the band embrace their label and go pretty much full indie rock on it and subsequent releases. Regardless, Icarus stands as a seminal work of midwest emo and if you're reading this blog, you need to hear it.

A note on song titles: I am following the naming conventions of the digipak edition I have, which simply lists the first six songs as 'Stel 1-2', etcetera. While later digital releases have added 'intro' and 'outro' tags to song segments, I'm going with what the band intended in 2003.

Icarus

Porter Hall

Porter Hall were a band from Calgary, Canada, active from 1997 to about 2004, though apparently they briefly reformed somewhere around 2009. I'm basing the 2004 breakup date on the release of their second and last album on German label Dead Serious, which must have been the European physical release because the album itself was released in 2001; no one has added a Canadian variant to Discogs, but I'm presuming one exists. I'm betting that band survived to see that release, but they may not have.

Porter Hall played emo pop punk in the 90s tradition, showing no sign of the early 2000s mall emo trends. Their sound is identical between their demo and their first record, to the point some of the songs use the same takes on the album. Their second album, Everything I Know I Stolen, is a little more aggressive than than the first, featuring a bit of emocore edge and rougher vocals.

Unless one of their compilation tracks features a different version than the albums, this download comprises the band's current known discography.

Porter Hall Discography

All Astronauts

The Wayback Machine has preserved All Astronauts' hilariously grandiose bio on their original website, a cosmic bit of hype that definitely sets a large stage for the band while failing to provide basic information. Consequently, I don't know for certain where the band was from, but they were probably in the same area as their record label, Lookalive, in Winston-Salem, NC. Their sound is a cross between the quiet\loud dynamics of emo and propulsive, mathy indie rock, gliding all around these sounds and others from similar genres, including a little slowcore. There are many long passages that sound like the lead in to a screamo track, but are actually headed in a different direction. In some ways they remind me of twisty indie\emo fusion bands like Utah!, though All Astronauts have a much harder emo edge, showing more hardcore roots than you usually find in this sound.

The band's only release appears to be 2004's Navigation Songs. The only other song I know of is a live track that was once available through the band's website.

Navigation Songs