Posted on: December 13, 2009 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

This album started to worry me, as it has one of the slowest starts of any album I’ve heard, but after the beginning to “Seating Subject To Availability”, the band really begins to shine with the luster previously present on their music. The Forecast had a few tracks on other compilations I had reviewed, and they were fantastic. “These Lights” has Shannon’s vocals simultaneously draw influences from The Sissies/Devil Is Electric as well as the entire genre of mid-nineties alternative rock.

Providing a double-duty, the bass line present on this track is near what one would expect from Matt Freeman, and it is created without the batting of an eyelash for this track, showing the world exactly how talented that Shannon is. Incorporating more than their fair share of alt-country to the “Helping Hands”, The Forecast can really modify their sound to make the strongest possible sound. The title track mixes in hair-metal guitar riffs to the normal Forecast track, and really gives the track a Coheed and Cambria-like sound to it that is only expanded when the dual-vocal harmonies kick in. The all-together chorus present on this track is a direct descendent of those used by Against Me and Rise Against, and this re-contextualized sound The Forecast is much better than much of the current music that Victory is releasing,. Extending the multiple-part harmony during “APR”, The Forecast allow for the joining of such a democratic sound with the domineer sound of the guitar on the track for an incredibly compelling sound. The Forecast is able to succeed during this track even with the extended instrumental interlude that ends the track. While the majority of tracks on this disc are extraordinarily well constructed, The Forecast seems to have a lack of radio-friendly tracks on “Late Night Conversations”.

This means that there is not the one track on here that will ensure them the continued success of a band like My Chemical Romance, but unlike a number of these singles-heavy discs, there is a certain quality present on all the tracks of “Late Night Conversations”. This is due to the band being cognizant of the fact that the general sound that ends “Apr” needs to be modified continually to maintain a listener’s interest. This is a richer brand of emo than many of the cookie cutter bands (The Chemistry, A Static Lullaby) that have been famous. A good album, regardless

Top Tracks: These Lights, Apr

Rating: 5.6/10

The Forecast – Late Night Conversations / 2005 Victory / 10 Tracks / http://www.the-forecast.net / http://www.victoryrecords.com / Reviewed 08 July 2005

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