It would be very lazy of me to dismiss We’re All Broken as ‘just another’ band from the infamous New Jersey scene which has spawned a whole generation, and some would say genre, of music. And while this lot are influenced by the likes of Thursday and My Chemical Romance, they’re intelligent and clever enough to make their own brilliant racket. Released on AOA Music, this record is a compilation of tracks recorded between 2001 and 2005, and it’s a great collection of songs, showcasing the band’s many very impressive musical sides.
There are obvious Thursday influences here, as ‘Hail Vagabond bride’ and ‘Baltimore’ show a very Geoff Rickley-esque side to their music. But there’s an intelligence which runs deeper than that, with the use of an orchestra and a variety of other instruments used to create a really thick and developing sound. ‘Right Brigade‘ has a very early MCR slant to it with some really spiteful vocals, showing that while We’re All Broken are more than adept at the clever, they can do the fast and furious too. ‘Bovine Scatology’ and an acoustic version of ‘Ambrosia’ are brilliant too. While We’re All Broken don’t re-write the post-hardcore genre rulebook, they certainly push at the boundaries and are one of the most under-rated bands from the NJ scene. Well recommended.