�BEGINNING OF THE MIDDLE�
(MIGHTY ATOM RECORDS)
Joe Gibb had hell of a busy year in 2003, having produced stuff for the high and mightily rocking likes of Funeral For A Friend, Million Dead and countless other Emo-rock bands with everything to prove. Somehow he also found time to produce this beauty of a debut EP from this young Brit 4-piece, who have played gigs with This Girl, Jet Plane Landing and Anti-Hero.
Opening with �You To Myself,� the heavy bass chug and raspingly catchy chorus lead into a quality Post-Emo soundscape before crafty samples are borrowed. Straight away, Hollywood Ending - who formed in the Spring of 2002 - strike you as a band obsessed not so much with confrontational Emo-metal music but with crafting sheer quality tunes that are both epic and yet concisely emotional and involving.
�By Fault Or Design� deals way-cool guitar theatrics beside invigoratingly soulful vocals, causing their sound to remind of the sublimely melodic sound that Biffy Clyro take so much pride in. Hollywood Ending realise they don�t need full-throttle, cranked-to-the-max guitars-a-wailing and aggressive vocals-a-screaming to get our attention, especially as �TVs in Cars� sounds so effortlessly poignant, in which Tom Higginbottom�s subtly tense drum roll stabilizes this magical Emo-ballad that comes complete with a chorus so tuneful that you just wish all Hollywood Endings were this unforgettable.
The title track itself in �Beginning of The Middle� closes this EP and is so euphorically uplifting the best advice I can give you is to submit to its effects and to just let its grandeur wash over and cleanse you.
One of the reasons these guys have such a fantastically endearing rock sound is that three of the four members (Adam Watson, Usman Hamid and Ben Murphy) share vocal duties whilst playing their respective guitars, and all are soulfully versatile when lunging into the spotlight. While these tracks do have their fair share of glorious �Emo� moments, a more traditional rock �n� roll sound is never far away, and echoes of the magic of U2 and the Manic Street Preachers manages to shine through their music, especially in �TVs in Cars.�
�Frankly, pals� you should give a damn��
(Steve Rudd)
RELEASE DATE: MARCH 8TH 2004