Album Details

• Artist: La Dispute
• Album: Somewhere At The Bottom Of The River Between Vega And Altair
• Label: No Sleep
• Year of Release: 2008
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: dscanland on 2008-12-12

Upon first listen to Somewhere At The Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair, (title taken from an Asian folktale), I didn't find anything of merit to La Dispute but when I delved into the album a little deeper I found something, something very captivating. The Grand Rapids, MI quintet's sound is quite refreshing. It was Jordan Dreyer's vocals that almost turned me off. When he's not growling out some clever post-hardcore vocals he's whining. Yes, no better word than whining. But again, it seems to work for their sound. If you get past the vocals in the first track, "Such Small Hands", and dive right into "Said The King To The River" you'll understand La Dispute's power. They incorporate screamo sounds but manage to integrate enough post-rock, post-hardcore sensibilities into their sound to set them apart.

Another boon to La Dispute's sound is the amazing lyrics. If you have something to say then your passion will be integrated in the music as well. They even throw some good old-fashioned hardcore in for variety ("Damaged Goods"). Songs like "Andria" remind me a lot of Steve Albini's projects like Shellac. Probably more Jordan's voice than anything. The instruments aren't near as grating as Shellac. Instead, they are actually quite well represented.

I hope La Dispute gets some recognition for Somewhere At The Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair. It is a good album and is different than a lot of albums of a similar nature this year.

User Reviews and Comments

on 2010-06-09 Meisho_san Said:

I agree in nearly every respect. If you can get past the first track, the rest of the album is worth it. Clever wordplay, complex sounds and, at times, excellent raw vocals (at other times serious whining) are what you'll enjoy here.
Rating: 9/10