The Emo Diaries - Chapter 3 (original) (raw)

Reviews

"This is emo, what music should be all about. Get all of these. Each album is incredible! Some bands you may have heard of, some obscure you'll die to find. I just listened to all the Diaries albums in a row, and it's pretty fascinating to see the way that this documentation of the emo style has changed just in the past two or so years. It seems that this style of music has evolved significantly, in part reverting back to its hardcore routes and also spreading outside our humble home, proving that America doesn't hold the only license to powerful, emotional rock. I don't think ANY compilation album will be quite as good as the first chapter of The Emo Diaries, with the second Emo Diaries close behind. Deep Elm is the best label out there." - Delusions of Adequacy

"Perhaps the best continuing compilation around. First, because instead of being a hard-liner on the question of the emo sound, John at Deep Elm prefers instead to simply let the music determine its own course. Quality is the question, not blind obedience to some arbitrary rules. But choosing 14 songs from the multitudes submitted isn't easy. On each of these discs, the songs have been among the best representations of emo, whatever that might actually mean. There are a couple of bands here I've heard before (Sweep the Leg Johnny and Cross My Heart) and a couple I wish I had (Starmarket and the Saddest Girl Story). Well, all of the songs are great. Those two just made the biggest immediate impact. Deep Elm has taken an approach to propagating the emo sound, and does it oh-so-well. This is just one more point in the east coast corner. A compilation to be snapped up with all due haste." - Aiding And Abetting

"This third "Emo Diaries" installment from Deep Elm sees the label relying less on 'bigger' names like JIMMY EAT WORLD and instead using the valuable space available to show the world what great bands you'll find out there, if only you dig a little deeper below the commercial punk and rock layer that shrouds the 'real' music; the great music. PLANES MISTAKEN FOR STARS, CROSS MY HEART and BIBLICAL PROOF OF UFO'S are not names you're familiar with I bet, but the music these bands (as well as the other eleven bands on here) produce is nothing short of astounding, maybe even surpassing the greatness of its "Emo Diaries" predecessors. There's over an hour of powerful, melodic 'post hardcore' sound on this CD, and a better hour you'd be hard pressed to spend. As I get to the end of this review THE CHASE THEORY is playing on the stereo - are you jealous yet?" - Fracture

"The third chapter has been written, and it is sweeter than the last. Deep Elm is churning these out without any quality flaws. From top to bottom, this is great. I keep listening over and over and I am reluctant to name favorites. The opener by Starmarket is a great, amped up track, with other dandies following by Planes Mistaken For Stars, Penfold (excellent!), The Saddest Girl Story, Sweep The Leg Johnny, Speedwell, Epstein and the ever-popular "hidden" track by London, Ontario's own, Shoulder. Again, let me re-iterate, each song is stupendous on its own, and each of these bands deserves their own full-length or two. That being said, any purchase of a Deep Elm record, specifically any chapter of the Emo Diaries, is a fine selection. You're guaranteed one of the finest compilations put together in recent years." - Building Adam Zine

"The third CHAPTER 1s superb. From start to finish I really don't have any complaints. I really enjoy the Starmarket song which is first on this disc. The Planes Mistaken For Stars song but it's a good one. Penfold is probably the top band on here in my opinion. It's a great song. Other niceties include Cross My Heart, Ultramagg's "One Thousand Directions," The Chase Theory, and Last Days of April with their singer and his lisp that makes him sound ever so cute. But like I said, those are just the highlights of this chapter. I personally think the whole album is great and applaud John at Deep Elm for putting this thing out. Simply one of the greatest comps I've ever had the honor to listen to." - Action Attack Helicopter

"Now on its third installment, Deep Elm continues to document the ill-defined posthardcore genre known as emo. The term itself comes heavily loaded -- most bands that fit the description won't cop to being an 'emo' band; the word conjures images of cardiganed boys sporting tight black jeans, '50s spectacles, and Vulcan haircuts, sobbing while they scribble in their journals. The music itself is built around start/stop, loud/soft melodic dynamics and complex timing changes, with as much heart-wrenching emotion poured over it as possible. The Emo Diaries series is your best bet at sorting through it all. The Moment of Truth stands solidly beside its predecessors, What's Mine Is Yours and A Million Miles Away, as a genre sampler, featuring a broad spectrum of emo-adherents from points global." - New Times