Weep- Worn Thin

Artist: Weep

CD Title: Worn Thin

Label – Project

Website: https://www.projekt.com/projekt/product.asp?sku=PRO00243

Genre: Gothic, Indie, Alternative

Reviewer: Robert Eaton

Date: 7-19-11

Formed in 2008, Weep is a goth/ethereal project on Projekt Records. Worth Thin is the band’s debut album and the follow-up to their 2008 EP Never Ever. The album’s twelve songs are slickly produced with orchestral touches and intricate synth arrangements. The album also includes a cover of Jesus Jones’s “Right Here, Right Now,” as well as anunlikely cover of the Rhianna hit “Shut Up and Drive.”

The album opener, “Snow Scenery,” has raucous indie-rock guitars that suggest Jesus and the Mary Chain. Singer Eric “Doc” Hammer’s vocals are layered, yet understated. The track might be bouncy and upbeat, but it’s contradicted by Hammer’s brooding vocals. “Let Me” trades the previous tracks chunky guitars for single note lines and jangling chords. “When I Am Wrong” opens with a New-Wave-esqe dance drum beat, and quickly builds to a lush tapestry as layers of synths and strings are added. “The Time I Thought That” is built around driving and abrasive guitars. Again, Hammer’s vocal delivery creates a nice counterpoint to the song’s driving riffs. “Ever Shy” is the only remix and the only song on the album to make a reappearance from the band’s 2008 EP. The song itself is slow and brooding at fist but gradually crescendos and adds guitars and synths. The title track is a guitar-heavy affair that recalls its goth-rock predecessors. It’s a dramatic and over-the-top piece of song-writing. Lastly, the band’s cover of Rhianna’s “Shut Up and Drive” is particularly impressive. Weep reinvents the song, and surprisingly, it works without coming off campy or ridiculous. It’s a mechanical pop song, that somehow works as a jangly indie-rock track. 

 
Listening to “Worn Thin”, one is impressed by the level of craft that is obvious listening to these songs. It’s a solid album, but one that gives an impression that this band is one that wears its influences proudly on it’s sleeves. Maybe in time Weep will find a way to distinguish its sound from its excellent source material. They may sound like a lot of their influence, but in all it’s a good sound.