Review: Colors by House of Heroes - Levisan.me

Excerpt

Colors by House of Heroes easily sits in my top 10 favourite albums

This is my first attempt at writing my thoughts while doing a play-through of an album. Colors by Untitled easily sits in my top 10 favourite albums (though I still need to write that listicle).

Leading up to the album coming out, they posted these clips on social media, and they help make the narrative more obvious.

1. This City Is a Cage

A great acoustic track to get one in the mood. The smooth transition into track two reminds me to listen to this album without shuffling.

2. Colors Run

A sudden, full sound, full of questions. The quiet, subtle bridge section and closing (with whistling!) would get radio listeners to change the channels, but we know better than that.

3. Pioneer

This one reminds me of The End Is Not The End. Some lovely guitar effects during the instrumental bits, and the tambourine adds to the mood quite nicely.

4. Rat

The storyline is starting to make sense by this point, helped along by the narrative lyrics. “Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat” is a great multi-meaning line that grabs one’s attention. Great solo/bridge section here!

5. We Make Our Stars

Time for a more ballad-y song, which is a nice change after the last track. A very big finish.

6. Feel

The ending of the last song makes the opening of this one very compelling. The perspective of the lyrics and the character portrayed, especially after track five, is very off-putting in a way that re-grabs your interest. This track is one of my favourites, with it’s solid beat and all that. And, not surprisingly, a quiet ending after you thought the song has ended to transition into the next track.

7. God

This one’s a fun one. The quiet almost-whisper crashes into the chorus in a way that you just have to listen to it nice and loud. Also a good test of the lead vocalist’s bass range, so it’s a fun one to sing along with.

8. In the End

There’s a nice choral-sounding non-verbal bit in this one, and along with the organ, it makes for a soulful feel that makes it feel like the story is going to resolve happily.

9. Crash

The female singer took me by surprise here. I always like it when a group uses a foreign voice like this, and it really makes sense with the narrative. The delightful instrumental bridge makes this track perfect.

10. Matador

The intro here reminds of the 8-bit ringtone from a few albums back. The drums and the high harmony voice in the chorus here really make an impact, and then you get the breakdown whispered lyrics. The climax, with it’s “whoa” lyrics, has a great high guitar line that one should make a effort to notice.

11. Shots Fired

With that crackling fire sound coming back, this is my favourite track. Totally different and personal.

12. Get Away

This one is a nice reminder of the overarching story. Another one of those quieter moments that you shouldn’t skip over.

13. Colors Die Out

The halftime-y moments in this song make for another song of juxtapositions, which, by this point, I’m starting to really enjoy. There’s some fun harmonies in the solo bit, and it makes a great ending to the story.