Hands Like Houses - Ground Dweller (2012)

ARTIST: Hands Like Houses
ALBUM: Ground Dweller
YEAR: 2012
GENRE: Progressive Post-Hardcore, Experimental
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/handslikehouses

TRACKLIST:
01. Antarctica ( 4:06)
02. Dont Look Now, Im Being Followed, Act Normal ( 3:13)
03. This Aint No Place for Animals ( 4:07)
04. Spineless Crow ( 3:33)
05. Starving to Death in the Belly of a Whale ( 3:33)
06. A Clown and His Pipe ( 3:27)
07. The Definition of Not-Leaving ( 2:28)
08. Lion Skin (featuring Jonny Craig and Tyler Carter) ( 4:19)
09. One Hundred ( 3:28)
10. Watchmaker (featuring Matty Mullins) ( 4:01)
11. The Sower ( 4:05)

Download the album here!
You can purchase the album from iTunes here:

ALBUM PREVIEW:


This Australian 6 piece post-hardcore outfit are nothing within the ordinary. In a genre clouded with much of the same sound and trends, Hands Like Houses have managed to create something that stands out. There's a reason these boys have been slowly building up a massive buzz for this release, both in Australia and now overseas in places such as America.
Capturing the soaring vocals of bands such as Emarosa, courtesy of Trent Woodley, and managing to master the ambient and atmospheric sound acts such as Woe, Is Me have attempted previously, Ground Dweller is not to underestimated.

Each track is able to bring you into a world of it's own, intricately using the ambient electronics to capture the listener before throwing you into a powerful guitar/melody assault backed by the impressive drum-work.
This might almost read like the label talking for the band, but I can assure you the album is something fresh, something a little different in a crowded scene, and it's fair to give credit where it's due.

The standout track for me was the song that caught my attention from these guys originally. The powerful Lion Skin, featuring guest spots from a couple of vocalists most of us are familiar with in Mr Tyler Carter and Mr Jonny Craig. It's actually surprising initially to listeners how Trenton more than holds his own against the two vocal powerhouses. The 30 seconds or so where they all join together on this track is certainly impressive.

Some people have said the production sours the album, and it makes (if it didn't already) all the songs sound too similar. I personally felt the production was fine, crisp and energetic, blending everything together nicely. With so much going on, it makes sense to tighten everything up on each track so it all flows. In my opinion it does a nice job on holding the album together. If the songs DO sound a bit similar, I have no problem with this. It's not the same 'hardcore' song over and over again, a criticism of many bands under the same Rise Records label. There's no random breakdown, there's no dubstep thrown in to catch the listener off-guard. If you enjoy the style of music this band produces, a bit of similarity really isn't an issue. This is a good problem for HLH to have at this point in their career, managing to get a handle on creating their own sound at such a young age and capturing it in each track throughout the album.

So anyway, go check out this release, and make sure to support the artists and buy the album if you like what you hear. (See links above) You can also order album packages here!

Thanks for reading, and enjoy!