Lifetime’s best EP, Tinnitus. Lyricist and singer Ari Katz has one of, if not the, best voice for singing Lifetime’s emotionally charged hardcore punk. The 7” opens with “Isae Aldy Beausoleil”. Right from the first guitar strum, this EP keeps you hooked. Once the rest of the band hits in, you can’t help but realize the gem this is. The bass, and more so the drums, keep a nice beat going throughout the song, with a somewhat slower bridge happening, before completely winding down, right into the next track, “Ferret”. Ari’s voice is again, perfect. The way he just strains everything, it’s as if someone was threatening his life while singing. The bass in this song is simple, yet catchy, keeping you focused on the song, while the drumming remains at a steady beat. Dan’s guitar work on this song is exceptional. After that, it goes back into the fast-paced “Starsixtynine”. From here, we go to the closing track, “Ampersand”. The song opens with just bass, before moving into a very haunting guitar riff, coupled along with haunting singing, before moving into a quicker pace. The consistent change of pace in this song seems to work very well. If you can make out the lyrics, you would see just how amazing Ari is at writing. The haunting lyrics at the beginning are so emotionally gripping. “Help me out because I'm lost in the struggle/Too stupid I guess to show you my best/I don't like the way you think/I'm gonna quit today” Overall, this is one of the best Emo Core, Hardcore, Melodic Hardcore, whatever you want to call it, EP’s ever released. The only downside if that you can’t understand what Ari is singing, so when listening to this, read the lyrics along with it.
-Rob
Download the 7": http://www.mediafire.com/?s0qr7m5fy3f
