The Blackest Beautiful marks a bit of a shift in tone for the California post-hardcore juggernauts. A majority of the tracks on The Blackest Beautiful are a lot poppier/melodic than the material on Fake History. There are still flashes of the biting intensity that ruled Fake History (album opener "Banshee (Ghost Fame)" may be the hardest-hitting track of their entire career and "27 Club" is a 7+ minute whirlwind of pure, unadulterated bedlam,) but for the most part the compositions on this record are a lot tamer than its predecessor. Don't get me wrong, letlive. still knows how to pulverize the listener, it's just in shorter, more sporadic bursts. For every groovy, wild section, there is a soft melody to immediately counteract it. I will fully admit that the calmer approach to the music is a majority of the reason it took me awhile to warm up to this record. After they repeatedly took your head off in the past, it takes a bit of getting used to a more subdued and less intense songwriting on this album. Thankfully after a decent number of spins, my stubborn-ass has come around to appreciating what letlive. has done with their music on The Blackest Beautiful.
As always is the case with letlive, their biggest strength as band is the vocals of Jason Butler. The music is strong on its own, but there's no denying that Butler is the heart and soul of this band. This record's more melodic tone allows Butler ample time to shine vocally. He gives some of his most emotional and well-round performances of his career throughout this record. Butler always bears his soul and puts every ounce of himself into every single vocal performance he gives, but tracks like "Younger", "Dreamer's Disease" and "The Priest and Used Cars" are remarkably powerful even by his lofty standards. Other tracks including "Empty Elvis", "White America's Beautiful Black Market and "That Fear Fever" make full use of Butler's extensive range (not to mention provide explosive hooks that will get absolutely beaten into your head.) Butler is just one of those rare talents that is able to combine raw emotion with an outstanding singing and screaming voice. I don't mean to sound like an asshole or a biased fanboy, but letlive. would not be nearly as special of a band as they are if they had someone other than Butler doing vocals.
The Blackest Beautiful is another strong release from letlive. It doesn't have the same manic and bone-crunching bite that made Fake History such a groundbreaking release, but The Blackest Beautiful makes up for it with a great understanding of melody and a plethora of memorable choruses. The actual songwriting and vibe of the record may be different than their earlier material, but the honest emotion is still very much present and that's what letlive's music has been about from the beginning. The Blackest Beautiful successfully establishes a new chapter in the career of letlive. This is a band that is very much determined to turn the genre of post-hardcore on its ass, no matter how crushing or pretty the track or album is. Long live letlive. and may they continue to stir the musical pot as long as they can possibly can.
4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Banshee (Ghost Fame)
2.That Fear Fever
3.27 Club
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