Big Ups - Before A Million Universes (Album Review)
Monday, 14 March 2016
Written by Laura Johnson
Big Ups seem to have spent the two years since they put out their debut, ‘Eighteen Hours Of Static’, fusing their hardcore roots with an ability to show restraint and embrace the less is more mantra. The result is ‘Before a Million Universes’.
The title, taken from the Walt Whitman quote "Let your soul stand cool and composed before a million universes”, is a nod to a fitting piece of advice that Big Ups have taken to heart. It’s not that they’ve tamed their wild side, more that they’ve learned to harness it better.
Capitalized is a great example of the band’s new-found control. It opens with a bassline that could knock the socks off Scott Pilgrim, but one which acts only to heighten anticipation for the inevitable explosion of pure hardcore that harks back to their debut.
Joe Galarraga’s candid lyrics have not lost their sting, either, and here he’s preoccupied with constant economic pressure and the relationship between money and our idea of self worth. During Contain Myself he barks: "Tell me what you're worth. Salary, two weeks off work?"
On Feathers Of Yes, meanwhile, he sings: “And it feels so warm, wrapped in self-righteous truths." The closer, Yawp, then strikes the winning blow: “How many times can you be poured through the still to the point of perfection? I've dropped myself through the coils so many times but always come out with something missing, and the proof’s so high it makes me dizzy.”
Meet Where We Are shows they are dealing with equal parts intimacy and intensity, as does National Parks, a song Galarraga wrote about the sacrifices his mother made to raise him. “While the song aims to honor her life and her effort spent on raising my sister and myself, the coda also serves as a reflective piece about the person I want to be,” he said.
With words that go straight for the jugular accompanied by the intertwining melodies of his musical sparring partners, guitarist AmarLal and bassist Carlos SalgueroJr, Big Ups have become a musical force to be reckoned with. If 'Before A Million Universes' is what they’re able to create just two albums and a few years in then bring on number three, and quickly.
Big Ups Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows
Mon March 28 2016 - GLASGOW Broadcast
Tue March 29 2016 - MANCHESTER Gullivers
Wed March 30 2016 - LONDON Lexington
Thu March 31 2016 - LEEDS Headrow House
Fri April 01 2016 - BRISTOL Louisiana
Sat April 02 2016 - BIRMINGHAM Sunflower Lounge
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