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THE REVIEWS
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Reviewed by: Decoy Music: Beginning in the fall of 1996, and formerly known as Unsound, We're All Broken took shape as a band in the New Jersey and New York hardcore/punk scene of the era. They released their debut album, Campaign Moving Slowly, through Fidelity Records in late 2004 to extremely stellar reviews, yet the band still struggles in relative obscurity. Now Engineer Records and KOI Records have just released a three track 7", Ambrosia, that displays the bands amazingly wide array of talents and styles. They can throw down a furious guttural assualt just as easily as they croon melodically over keys and violins. Comparisons to post-hardcore veterans like Sunny Day Real Estate and Thursday are dead on, and in some cases, WAB seem more than capable of leaving their predecessors forgotten. A band this fantastic can only go unnoticed for so long. Maybe this is their year.
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Reviewed by: John-Michael Bond [Sat, January 14, 2006 @ 4:15:09 AM]
This 7” release by We.re All Broken is made up for their latest single Ambrosia and two rerecorded tracks from their debut album Campaign Moving Slow on Fidelity records. WAB play old school 90’s post hardcore along the lines of a dirtier sounding Sunny Day Real Estate with vocals that bring to mind Burt from the Used if he had a better range. The first track Ambrosia is a full of the tasty distorted post-hardcore goodness that sends the kids into a tizzy these days. With duel shouted/sung vocals and a strong poppy chorus this song is worth the price of the 7” alone. However little darling you’re also blessed with a most erroneous acoustic mix of the already pretty song Baltimore and the real start of the show, the rerecording of Hail Vagabond Bride. These boys may be Broken, but they’ve got a ton of creative ideas for their music.
On the rerecording the band has added a few elements that their original recording budget didn’t allow. Namely keys, strings and a 92 member children’s choir. While normally these elements in a post-hardcore song would smack of cheese and pretension, We.re All Broken pull it off with flying colors. The song sounds like the band finally embracing their inner art rocker. And since Trail of the Dead doesn’t seem to be touring much these days someone has got to pick up the slack.
As great as these songs are, the real star of this release is the vinyl it’s self. This year’s model comes in a sexy transparent brown with green splatter. Limited to the first 500 copies, this is sure to be a collector’s item once these guys have a few more tours under their belts. Hold this vinyl up to light. Snuggle with it in bed. Play the hell out of it. But make sure you check it out. This is a high quality release for vinyl nerds and music fans alike. Isn’t it nice when we can all agree!?!
8 out of 10
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Wade Coggeshall
Reporter
In this corporate age, it’s tough to find many do-it-yourself success stories. But We.re All Broken is one.
This sextet does it by injecting maximum passion into its bouffant rock music. That and living on the road, touring eight months out of the year.
When I write DIY, I mean it. We.re All Broken books its own tours, records it own music and does its own artwork and layout. If they could release their records on their own — with the confidence they would reach the most interested parties — they’d probably do that, too. But as it stands they released their debut, “Campaign Moving Slow,” on tiny Fidelity Records. Even without a media juggernaut behind it, We.re All Broken has managed to play with such acts as My Chemical Romance, the Dillinger Escape Plan and Every Time I Die.
“Ambrosia” is a simple three-song 7-inch meant to tide fans over before the next album drops. Even so, it does its best to pull out all the stops.
“Ambrosia,” a new song, is emotive, charging rock. With the dichotomy of painterly melodies and serrated edges at play, it’s a track that should be met with fist-pumping acclaim.
“Baltimore” and “Hail Vagabond Bride” are both from “Campaign Moving Slow.” This version of “Baltimore” is acoustic. It’s done gruffly, a sort of dirty and sweet sonancy. The multiple layers are courtesy of three guitarists in the band.
“Hail Vagabond Bride” gets royal treatment. Strings and cello. A 92-member children’s choir. It was done with marked ardor before, but now really goes for the emotional gullet.
Such an assiduous band, devoted to both its music and marketing, deserves credit. Consider “Ambrosia” a little valentine to the fans. A limited press run of 500 copies makes this a collector’s item.
We.re All Broken "Ambrosia 7""
(2005 -Engineer Records- -Koi Records-)
We.re All Broken are a band hailing from New Jersey: this isn't the usual emo core ,no no guys..this is an emotional/shivering mix of music played with heart and dedication; flavoured of all the best sounds around like Funeral For A Friend, Thursday, the Beautiful Mistake, The Mars Volta, Choeed And Cambria, Alkaline Trio, Story Of The Year....and many many stuff like that. Yeah, now you know exactly what We.re All Broken are playing for: "Ambosia" is a 7" (colored version and limited 500 1st pressing) which contains their new single "Ambrosia" and two tracks from their latest album called "Campaign Moving Slow" ("Baltimore" -acoustic- and "Hail vagabond bride" -revisited-). In "Baltimore" there're choirs with 92 children's voice bringing a particular atmoshopere making ashes of your thoughts and your heartbeat. This is definetly a beautiful emo mixed with stuff like i mentioned already; We.re All Broken are one of the greatest bands ever heard. You must check out this dudes: strange, loud, crazy, awesome music, a new one for of emo/indie rock. Excellent.
Walter - Fire Alive Webzine
Votes: 9/10
UNDER THE VOLCANO by Dan McClernon
We.re All Broken “Ambrosia” (Koi/Engineer)
We.re All Broken are the Emo band it¹s ok to like, and not just because I’m giving you permission. They rock, and they rock hard, similarly to those early Emo bands that actually weren’t a bunch of whiney, girls’ jean-wearing, eye-liner sporting haircuts.
Think Sunny Day Real Estate, Ordination of Aaron, Vitreous Humor, Braid, Texas is the Reason and even Far. Hell, even the sole acoustic song has more balls to it than more than half the so-called Emo bands that scream nonsense from their friggin’ rooftops. This three-song seven-inch is in support of the latest album, Campaign Moving Slow,
and is worth getting alone for the stunning single “Ambrosia,” but if that’s not enough, one look at the hard work and time that was put into the packaging of this record, from the artwork to the multi-color splatter vinyl should make your decision that much easier.
(7”)-McClernon
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