Post-hardcore is not a genre known for being sleek and graceful. Bands like Fugazi and Jawbox were known for complex melodies and accessibility, but their music was also characterized by a fierce aggression. However, those are not hard and fast rules, which New York’s The Forms make perfectly clear on their self-titled second album.
Taking cues from Fugazi and their Dischord contemporaries, The Forms mold post-hardcore into a prettier, cleaner, shimmering sound. Without sounding explicitly “pop,” The Forms squarely focus on accessible melodies, yet ones augmented by ornate riffs and deft shifts in time signature. Leadoff track “Knowledge In Hand” gorgeously combines these elements.
Both “Alpha” and “Red Gun” are prime examples of the band’s own refinement, neither one containing a single awkward or misplaced note. Considering that the band did more than fifty takes on certain songs from their debut Icarus, getting things perfect is merely part of The Forms’ M.O. The album may not be perfect, but individual tracks such as “Focus” make post-hardcore sparkle more than it ever has.
– Jeff Terich
Threespheres Records: www.threespheres.com
The Forms: www.myspace.com/forms