28. Blood Brothers: Crimes
Shortly after I graduated High School I was riding in my friend Brian’s car. He was playing Blood Brothers Burn Piano Island Burn. It was my first exposure to The Blood Brothers and despite most people’s usual dislike for Johnny Witney’s falsetto vocals (once described as sounding like a ‘child being tortured’) I was really into it.
A few months later I was walking around the local mall and saw the FYE was selling one of their records for $5. Without knowing if it was the one i had heard in Brian’s car or not I purchased it anyway. I remember putting it in my car and within the first minute of Feed me to the Forest I was hooked.
I recall being so into the record that I went out of my way to make sure it took me 40 minutes to get home (I only lived 15 minutes from the Mall) so I could hear the entire record. The album never left my car that year (except for when a passenger couldn’t take Whitney’s vocals).
The album is extremely political (influenced by the re-election of the Bush administration) and it shines throughout the album. It’s extremely critical towards the media specifically with songs like Trash Flavored Trash (about how the news covers Celebrity Sex over real news) and Peacock Skeleton with Crooked Feathers (which is obviously about NBC)
My favorite track has always been My First Kiss At the Public Execution. The track’s extreme energy makes me angry I never got to see this band live. Between the furiously heavy guitars and Johnny’s wail of “Go!” the song is post-hardcore perfection.
If you’ve never heard Blood Brothers this is a great starter album. Plenty of people will tell you the early stuff is better (and they’re honestly probably right) but this one will always have a place in my heart.
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