“Handslikegunsandcrashingsounds” is an album that has been a long time coming. THE DECEMBER DRIVE is the gem of the South Texas music scene, a band that has survived music changes, band drama, and even a tour-ending van crash. All these factors make up for a long awaited album that seemed like it would never see the light of day, thought of only in terms of what could have been. But alas, “handslikeguns…” found its way to my mailbox and quickly into my CD player. Having heard them for years and seeing the influence they had on my local scene, I could only hope the album would do the band justice. THE DECEMBER DRIVE sets a tone from the initial notes of the opener, “1422”. With melody reminiscent of MINERAL and more current artists like APPLESEED CAST and THE GLORIA RECORD, TDD creates a haunting atmosphere that invokes an emotional response to the music. An amalgamation of post hardcore, indie, and emo, “handslikeguns…” blends every sound into an ambiance, cleverly disguising each instrument so that it’s difficult to pick out what part of the song makes you find yourself blankly staring at a wall. The singing is drawn out over the layered music with angst-ridden lyrics and painful honesty. Each song lulls you into an introspective state before building its triumphant, chills-inducing climax. The guitars crash into those climaxes and recede into calm, slow paced moments that do more to set up the next breakdown. The bass is completely lost in the blur of sounds and effects but is as intricate as the feeling behind the music. The drumming is pinpoint, never taking over a song but always contributing to the total layout of the track. TDD actually gets away with two minutes intros and songs with just a handful of words, letting the instruments convey the attitude and passion behind the song. “Buffalo Wing Diplomacy”, “NO Remembering”, “Enough”, and “This Side You’ve Never Seen” makeup the standout tracks of “handslikeguns…” but the album is fluid and each transition seems natural, making it something to listen to from start to finish, much like MARS VOLTA. At times, the production in the album seems to take away from the overall feel of things. It seems inconsistent at times, reflecting the lengthy span in which all the material for the album was written. “and now we justify your criticism”, one of the most innovative songs of the album that brings AT THE DRIVE IN to mind, loses something in the production and overdone studio effects that remind you this is the band’s debut release, but even these weaknesses are forgotten when you see the great album art and an amazingly cheap price tag (5-7 bucks!). I expected some kind of letdown from TDD, but instead got one of the most surprising albums of the summer. If this album came out when the material was actually written, they would easily be on a major label right now, blossoming in post Sunny Day Real Estate glory. Even if the timing of the release is off, the music is still amazing. It’s hard to believe what emotion is genuine in music now, but I found myself reading every lyric in the booklet as if it applies to my own life and they were merely laying down the soundtrack to it. I urge any fan of BRAID, RADIOHEAD, or even GODSPEED! YOU BLACK EMPEROR to pick up this album now; you won’t regret it.

American Jealousy

www.thedecemberdrive.com