When Pulled Apart by Horses released their debut self titled LP in 2010 I missed them. However, plenty of friends compared them to The Blood Brothers, who have released some of my favorite albums ever.I don't really see the likeness on their sophomore LP, Tough Love, but that doesn't mean I don't like it. Pulled Apart by Horses don't have two screamers, and their one vocalist doesn't have a squeaky croon a la Johnny Whitney, nor does he have a buttery twiggy kid swag voice such as Jordan Blilie's. What he does have, however, is a strength which stands on it's own and in a unique way. I would even dare to say that Tom Hudson's chords are what dictate the overall sound of the band - the way they can take glam rock sort of pedals and effects and make it sound like something new from a genre that isn't very new at all. This is innovation.
And I appreciate it. These guys seem to be really down for getting on the ground and performing some real rock and roll, the way the kings made it. Classic techniques, formulas and all. And the catchiest parts of the album - the chorus to Epic Myth and the general being of Night of the Living - make this not only the first post hardcore release of the year, but the first album of 2012 that I find myself really moshing out too.
And Tough Love only tires when those dire cries and rockin' chords become a bit less various and a bit less filling - everything between Night of the Living and Degeneration Game could do with better hooks and maybe a revamp of sound and energy to keep the album going, to keep it fresh. Even then, though, the album finishes with a bang. I can see myself nine months down the road still rocking to this stuff.
Tier: 2 [Playlist]
[what does V.E.N.O.M. stand for, anyway?]
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