Search - Karate :: In Place of Real Insight

A great new sound

08/10/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"this is my favorite album by one of my favorite bands. karate is the only group i know that has taken the energy of hardcore/punk and channeled it to almost acoustic songs. sometimes it makes you think you are listening to hardcore despite the fact that there is no distortion, the songs are usually very slow-paced, and geoff farina has a great voice and doesn't growl or scream. also check out their first album and "the bed is in the ocean"."

Why emo was good once

Catherine Carpeaux | Burke, VA United States | 05/27/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've had this album forever and it, to me, is an expression of emo when it was: (a) as a term, a much more precise description; and (b) as a body of work, good because it coupled actual musicianship and intelligent lyrical talent to garner such a true expression of raw emotion that to listen was to live that emotion, in a phenomenological sense. To this day, "the new hangout condition" (from which comes the cd's title) and "today or tomorrow" are favorites of mine. While my predecessor reviewers are right that this album (and, truly, karate) will never be "amazing", they can best be described as "honest and true", which is also valuable."

Beautiful tension, brilliant

Bob Hertenstein | Bob | 04/18/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"While some of the songs (new martini, the new hangout condition, on cutting) come up short in my ears of clear brilliance, the stark sonic landscapes and unexpected surprises of this album make up for what might be a transitional awkwardness. As always, this band succedes in impressing with their signature otherworldly sound, a combination of sorrowfull lyrics and intelligent arrangements excecuted with robot-like precision. Worth investigating further."