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The Break
HANDBOOK FOR THE HOPELESS
(Ferret)
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With a pair of recent releases on Doghouse, the Break made a name for themselves as a rough-edged emo band who don’t pander to pre-teens. On their Ferret debut, the New Jersey group continue to deliver propulsive college rock with an angry streak. "We are, we are the discontent/In cliché fragments of the strength we represent," frontman John Waverka barks on the opening "The Wolves Are at the Front Door," which bemoans the apathy of American youth. The guitarists balance melody and raunch, and the rhythm section has learned well from scene godfathers Lifetime. Handbook was produced by Alex Newport, who lets the music breathe in a way that resembles his work with At the Drive-In. "Eyes Across the Aisle," an aching meditation on "the need to know your name," is the band’s greatest gift to emo nation. Their hardcore politics stand out on the raging mid-disc tandem "Good Iron" and "Ride the Snake," and they take a successful left turn on the closing "We Aren’t Your Friends," which sets a searing personal vendetta to a chorus that’s downright pretty. Sometimes their emotional malaise gets the best of the music, but the Break do a good job of backing up their energy with soul. (The Break open for A Static Lullaby this Monday, November 22, at Axis, 13 Lansdowne Street in Boston; call 617-262-2437. They also open for A Static Lullaby this Wednesday, November 24, at the Living Room, 23 Rathbone Street in Providence; call 401-521-5200.)
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