Have Heart The Things We Carry

I have to admit that until Have Heart's new album came in the mail, I had been actively avoiding them. I was fairly certain that I didn't need to listen to any hardcore band with a name so nauseatingly "posi." I'd like to take this opportunity to say that I was very, very wrong and that I've only been depriving myself. Have Heart's The Things We Carry has easily found a place in my year-to-date "Best Hardcore Albums" list, alongside veterans like Ignite and the Hope Conspiracy and a handful of other promising up-and-comers. It's often difficult to elaborate upon what makes one traditionally-style hardcore release stand out from the rest of the pack. 9 out of 10 times though, it has a good bit to do with vocals and Have Heart is definitely no exception. Patrick Flynn's presence (at least on CD) matches any recent hardcore vocalist that comes to mind and his lyrics have plenty of insight and intelligence to accompany the "heart." There's also a moderate amount of range displayed, although it's mostly between throat-tearing screams, a few spoken passages and a powerful shout. Any melody created is definitely in the music, which usually works better for the style anyway. Have Heart play a nice blend of Boston-style hardcore (produced well here by genre guru Jim Siegel) and Northwest-style old school revival with enough of their own flair to make both sound fresh again. They know when to go balls out, when to pull back and exactly where to put the gang vocals. Many of these songs work better because of their arrangements, something many young hardcore bands seem to have a weak grasp on. There's also a handful of unusual picking patterns, odd tempos and bass interludes that keep you guessing throughout and interested on recurring listens. There's even some nice themes in the bookends "Watch Me Sink" and "Watch Me Rise" and some admittedly borrowed Neil Young lyrics in the mix. Bottom Line: This is a damn fine hardcore record, easily one of the best released this year. While many might argue that hardcore hasn't changed much since the days of Chain of Strength and Bold, Have Heart are a good example of a young band that takes the sound further without losing sight of what "hardcore" means, both musically and personally.