Ten Falls Forth – Excuse Me, I Believe That’s My Ride / 2006 Rise / 10 Tracks / http://www.tenfallsforth.com / http://www.riserecords.com / Reviewed 05 may 2006

The brand of emo that Ten Falls Forth is what is popular in both college and popular radio, but the one thing that Ten Falls Forth immediately shows their listeners is that they have enough chops to serve a party of forty.

What Ten Falls Forth reminds me of from the opening of the disc is Student Risk; the tracks are sing-able while still have an intelligent arrangement and a solid musicianship. When Ten Falls Forth changes up their style to something slower, as is the case during “Last Second Confessions”, there is little difference in the quality that the band imbues the track with. The song may be something that is played as a slow dance at proms, but that does not mean that Ten Falls Forth gives up and just plays uninspired arrangements during this track. The bass/drum dynamic that immediately is brought up during the beginning of “After School Special” keeps Ten Falls Forth in the same sort of emo style of previous tracks, but goes further in including different styles of music. For example, Ten Falls Forth here takes on acts like Incubus and succeeds.

Another development during the track is the incorporation of a second set of vocals, something that increases the emotional intensity of the band considerably. The vocals may seem to be taken from the Blink 182 or Good Charlotte playbook at times, but Ten Falls Forth is so far beyond those bands that it is not funny. Each of the songs on “Excuse Me” is layered so many times that individuals will have to listen to the disc multiple times to properly get everything that Ten Falls Forth has thrown at them. There are hints of college rock and even alternative music at times; Ten Falls Forth is just not another cookie-cutter emo band created just to capitalize on the popularity of the genre. The band does not jump very often between the two distinct styles of “emo” music; where the band does have a strong and quick lead in during “Hush Said The Queen”, they are more comfortable and spend more of their time on “Excuse Me, I Believe That’s My Ride” with the slower tracks. This is hands down one of the best emo albums since Senses Fail cut their first EP or Amber Pacific cut theirs; there is no doubt in my mind that Ten Falls Forth will stick around popular music for a while.

Top Tracks: Live Forever In A Day, Hush Said The Queen

Rating: 7.3/10

[JMcQ]