Innerpartysystem - Innerpartysystem Review
Posted by Vanessa Willoughby on 12.06.2008
Mix one part Daft Punk, one part She Wants Revenge and a good measure of modern pop-punk and what do you get? Hailing from Pennsylvania, Innerpartysystem is the latest band to dabble in both the trademark sounds of post-punk pop and industrial rock. But do they really live up to all the hype?
Track List:
1. Die Tonight Live Forever
2. Last Night In Brooklyn
3. Don't Stop
4. Structure
5. Everyone Is The Same
6. Obsession
7. This Empty Love
8. New Poetry
9. This Town Your Grave
10. Heart Of Fire
11. What We Will Never Know
12. Soundscape
One part Daft Punk, one part She Wants Revenge and a good measure of modern pop-punk, Innerpartysystem is the sort of band that jumps from one genre to the next, making it difficult to stick a concrete label on their music. Although the band can be lumped into the current trend of pop-punk bands such as Fall Out Boy, The Academy Is…, and Mindless Self Indulgence, Innerpartysystem’s self-titled debut is a strong effort to form an identity separate from their contemporaries. Consisting of Patrick Nissley on vocals, Jared Piccone on drums, Kris Barman on guitar and Jesse Cronan on synthesizer, Innerpartysystem is from Mohnton, Pennsylvania. Originally formed by Nissley and Piccone, the two decided to form a new band after playing with the emo band Thirteen Over Eight. The band received considerable buzz, but Nissley and Piccone decided to split from Thirteen Over Eight.
In 2006, the pair named their new group The Takeover, which later was changed to Innerpartysystem. When asked about the inspiration behind their name, Piccone said in an interview, “In George Orwell's '1984' social classes were defined as the inner party, outer party, and the working class. It sounds really 'holier than thou' when you say it, we're really not this full of ourselves, but we liked the idea of creating this full, multimedia, over-stimulating, elitist environment that we were trying to invite everyone into. It's the ironic elitist class.”
Surprisingly, Piccone’s literary explanation fits rather coherently with the musical aesthetic of the band. Rather than a muted blend of sound and rhythm, the album feels as though there are two or more layers of sound that are competing for the listener’s full attention. Like the steady thump of two different heartbeats, many of the songs on their debut album are not so much timeless as they are imprints of several musical decades, namely a dizzying combination of the electronic, New Wave sound of the 80s and the post-punk, feet-stomping sound of the past few years, like Panic at the Disco.
The first track, “Die Tonight Live Forever,” opens with the raspy grumble of multiple synthesizers, eventually blossoming into a pounding beat that would seem right at home on a Nine Inch Nails record. Nissley’s warm vocals provide a clear contrast to the robotic background vocals of Piccone, Barman, and Cronan. However, as much of a zealous spark that “Die Tonight Live Forever” generates, it would be a bit generous to compare NIN and Innerpartysystem or even to say that they’re in the same league. Whereas a band like NIN (or really Trent Reznor) is known for their ventures into the experimental, Innerpartysystem is comfortable staying within the self-inflicted boundaries they’ve created. This is not to say that their debut album lacks the willingness for musical spontaneity. The second track, “Last Night In Brooklyn,” is a conscious and successful hybrid of electronica and pop, with a repetition of a synthesizer hook that stamps itself within the mind of the listener.
“Don’t Stop” is probably the most radio-friendly song off the album, complete with synthesizer bleeps that could have been lifted from an old Nintendo game. The lyrics contain interesting and ironically flippant observations about the relationship between artists and their fans and the sometimes God-like complex these fans assign to their idols. Nissley sings:
“This is entertainment
Lives are entertainment
You are down on your knees
Begging me for more.
The road I walk is paved in gold
To glorify my platinum soul
I am the closest thing to God
So worship me and never stop.”
Perhaps the topic isn’t anything groundbreaking, but the innovative execution outweighs the commonality of the content. The emotional atmosphere and the tone of the song create an undeniable frenzy, much like the crushing admiration of the fans mentioned in the song.
The fourth track, “Structure” is a slower song and its sudden insertion in the lineup creates a noticeable and slightly awkward change of energy. The song itself is tolerable though nothing extraordinary, with a vague, repeated chorus of :
“Why did you change?
Why did you bend and break?
When the water turned to wine, did it feel the same?
Why did you change?
Why did you bend and break?
When the water turned to wine, it never.”
“This Empty Love” possesses the haunting, deliberate unraveling melancholy of a Joy Division track, as Nissley laments about a weathered and broken-down relationship that is quickly transforming both involved parties into hollow shells. The weariness of his voice articulates the dead-end hopelessness of the relationship. The images are clear, crisp and blunt, as Nissley sings:
“I’m in a room and there is something wrong.
I can’t remember how I got here at all.
Her body’s lying next to me on the bed.
This place smells of smoke and alcohol on my breath.
I look at her to see if she’s awake
Her eyes are open
She whispers
This empty love leaves us alone.”
It seems that one of the major themes within Innerpartysystem’s debut album is the loneliness and isolation of the individual in relation to the rest of the world. Many of the songs discuss feeling disconnected from the rest of the world and an alienation from God. This is apparent in the aforementioned tracks and the ninth track, “This Town Your Grave.” With the emphasis on the electronic instrumentals and the almost detached disillusion of Nissley’s vocal inflection, “This Town Your Grave” comes across as musical aftermath of a desolate ghost town.
The final track, “Soundscape,” is not so much a song as it is a compilation of feedback and static. After having such a knockout opening song, “Soundscape” is a weak tap on the cheek.
The 411: With a solid, noteworthy debut, Innerpartysystem is definitely a band not to quickly dismiss. Although Innerpartysystem is not a perfect album, the hits are a lot more frequent than the misses. The album as a whole shows the band's potential for future growth and evolution.
