In the Shadow of Two Gunmen

I can understand the fustration given by a lot of people over Victory marketing of this band (for fans of Bright Eyes and Limbeck? what?). But honestly, this band owes more to midwestern emo than anything like The Get Up Kids, Braid and early Anniversary. They do have a slight alt-country influence here and there on "In The Shadow of Two Gunmen", a record where it seems like The Forecast finally gets a hold of the sound they've been trying to hint at since their last record "Late Night Conversations".

They start the record out with a straight up rock song, "Everything We Want To Be" that wouldn't sound out of place in a bar. It's a fun fist pumper of a song but the album doesn't pick up steam until the next track, "And We All Return To Our Roots". It's The Forecast's first legit anthem. Bassist Shannon Burns' vocals reign over the chorus, taking it to the next level. Some people may not like it but over time, it serves as the high note needed in so many of The Forecast's memorable harmonies.

The album continues with a couple of "emo" tracks. "(May You One Day) Carry Me Home" wouldn't sound of place next to any of the upbeat tracks on The Get Up Kids' "Something To Write Home About". It's not until track 5, "Some Things Never Change" where the country tag gets stuck to The Forecast but honestly, it's the best track on the album. VERY solid song and if it doesn't get you reminiscing about your last relationship that really mattered then this song is completely lost on you.

"A Fist Fight For Our Fathers" is probably The Forecast's most aggressive song to date sounding a little bit like Hot Water Music's "A Flight And A Crash". The next track "Every Gun Makes It's Own Tomb" is another straight up rock and roll tune that's not too memorable but if it doesn't make you want to shoot down some whiskey with your best friends, I don't know what will.

The pensive "You're My Needle" flows into "West Coast", which is the second best song on the record with the back and forth vocals of Shannon Burns and lead vocalist/guitarist Dustin Addis gives you the impression of that there's a story to be told between the two. "West Coast" is probably one of their most emotionally engaging songs and needless to say, the group vocals and harmonies at the end of this song take the song to the next level.

In essence, this record is about dealing with relationships with family, your loved one while on the road (the road part of the story is amazingly documented in the slow burning, twangy last track "Welcome Home"). Even though this album owes more to The Get Up Kids than say Whiskeytown, the honesty served by The Forecast on "In The Shadow of Two Gunmen" is worth satisfying your curiosity in this VERY underrated, maybe misunderstood, hard-working band from Small-town, Illinois.

If you wished The Get Up Kids didn't change so much between "Something To Write Home About" and "On A Wire" and had compromised the two sounds, buy "In The Shadow of Two Gunmen".

If you wished The Anniversary would combine the sounds of "Designing A Nervious Breakdown" and "Your Majesty", buy "In The Shadow of Two Gunmen".

Either way, this record is very, very recommended.

I was really hesitant to buy this CD after hearing only the brief into samples available at Borders. Not because it was bad--it wasn't--but because it seemed to sound like a lot of other "alternative" bands out there. It's difficult to explain, but alternative group's vocals often follow similar annoying pattern of beginning each verse with repetition of the same high note, then lowering the notes toward the end of the verse. I did purchase it, however, because I really liked the male-female harmonies.

Well what do you know? When I heard the entire CD it quickly became a moderate favorite of mine! Every song is strong, and the "alternative" vocals I was concerned about aren't annoying at all in the context of the entire songs. The male-female harmonies are absolutely superb, and the entire CD is filled with down-to-earth energy. There's nothing pretentious about it. In fact, the first song could easily be mistaken for Foo Fighters.

Maybe it's just because I moved from the Midwest to California, but I sensed a sincerity in this Illinois band's music that really made me homesick, and I could tell they were having a great time in the process. For me at least, that makes for a CD that I'll listen to often. I highly recommend that you give this disk a try. You can find two full-length song samples on their MySpace site so you don't have to rely on the misleadingly brief sample at Borders:

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=4335596

this cd sounds a bit different from their previous one, it's less catchy (at least to my ears) on it's first listen, but as i listen more and more to it , i'm lovin' every minute of it. the use of 3 vocals, more guitar solos (not alot more i should say) and good lyrics make this a good cd to listen while "taking a long drive" as the sticker from victory says.
it's really a slow-burner but a really good one.

FAV SONG (at the moment):100 hundred percent

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