Henning Runolf from Suis La Lune, Sore Eyelids and a whole lot of other bands recently released the debut album of his new solo-project called left in-between, and I'm sure that if you're into his previous works, you'll love it too. Be sure to check it out here. Below are 9 songs that got Henning into emo, and it varies from undeniable classic to unexpected and rare additions.
Introduction
This is a pretty difficult list for me to write since I listen to so many different styles of music. But I tried to focus on the songs that led me into discovering and appreciating emo in a pretty broad sense and also the discovery of emo-ish bands that were influential to me at the time or led me to discover a lot of other bands. Most of these bands I started listening to between 2002 and 2006.
Broder Daniel - I'll Be Gone
As a teenager, I had never listened to anything punk, hardcore, metal or anything like that. Growing up, the only music I got from my parents was classical music, church and choir music and a bit of jazz.
After going through several phases where I discovered rock/pop music on my own I got really into indie pop at the age of 13/14. I listened to a lot of indie music that was big in Sweden at the time.
Eventho indie-pop rarely has much to do with emo, I was always drawn to the more depressing and "darker" sounding indie pop. And Broder Daniel is a perfect example of that. They were really big in Sweden in the late 90's and got almost a cult following. This album is by far their best. It's lo-fi, it's dark, it's teenage angsty, it's a bit juvenile and overdramatic, it's great. And it has that special Gothenburg indie sound that became famous in Sweden and still is to this day.
After going through several phases where I discovered rock/pop music on my own I got really into indie pop at the age of 13/14. I listened to a lot of indie music that was big in Sweden at the time.
Eventho indie-pop rarely has much to do with emo, I was always drawn to the more depressing and "darker" sounding indie pop. And Broder Daniel is a perfect example of that. They were really big in Sweden in the late 90's and got almost a cult following. This album is by far their best. It's lo-fi, it's dark, it's teenage angsty, it's a bit juvenile and overdramatic, it's great. And it has that special Gothenburg indie sound that became famous in Sweden and still is to this day.
Orchid - Hit The Ground
This was probably one of the first HC/screamo bands that I got into, thanks to Karl, from Suis La Lune etc., who made a mix cd with some random screamo/emo/hc when we just started going to the same school.
I bought Totality when it came out and listened to it a lot. Eventho I initially wasn't crazy about the rough and dissonant aspects of Orchid, I instantly loved how the lyrics were sometimes super emo while the music sounded heavy, tough and gritty. I loved that contrast very much. And I still really love this band. You can hear Orchid in so many screamo and power violence bands it's ridiculous. They really were a massive influence on countless bands.
Chaos Is Me, Dance Tonight! Revolution Tomorrow! and Gatefold are all classics and they all have so many truly genius and great songs on them. But this song was one of the first that I really liked by them.
I bought Totality when it came out and listened to it a lot. Eventho I initially wasn't crazy about the rough and dissonant aspects of Orchid, I instantly loved how the lyrics were sometimes super emo while the music sounded heavy, tough and gritty. I loved that contrast very much. And I still really love this band. You can hear Orchid in so many screamo and power violence bands it's ridiculous. They really were a massive influence on countless bands.
Chaos Is Me, Dance Tonight! Revolution Tomorrow! and Gatefold are all classics and they all have so many truly genius and great songs on them. But this song was one of the first that I really liked by them.
Raein - New Day Scenario
Both Karl and Robert from Suis La Lune were really into Raein. The three of us went to the same school in 2004 and they introduced this band to me, and I instantly loved it. At the time I hadn't really listened at all to hardcore, punk, punkrock or similar. But I really loved how melodic and dynamic they were, while at the same time totally chaotic and aggressive sounding. We tried playing their screamo hit song Tigersuit at school with an early lineup of what would later become Suis La Lune (without Daniel on drums and with Emil on guitar, later bass in Sore Eyelids).
This song together with On Air, Endless Tourlife and the two songs on the "Döden Marscherar Mot Väst" 7" are their best work imo. They also led me to listen to a lot of other European Screamo bands that were big at the time like La Quiete, Daïtro (rip Samuel), Mihai Edrisch, etc.
This song together with On Air, Endless Tourlife and the two songs on the "Döden Marscherar Mot Väst" 7" are their best work imo. They also led me to listen to a lot of other European Screamo bands that were big at the time like La Quiete, Daïtro (rip Samuel), Mihai Edrisch, etc.
The Pine - Growing Calm Together
I guess it's no surprise that I'm a big fan of The Pine. I first started listening to them in 2005 after Robert introduced them to me.
A few years later he got rid of all his hc and punk vinyls and I got my hands on his copy of Lead Blocks For Feet, which he got from our friend Maria in Umeå (who we met and became friends with when she put up our second show ever with Suis La Lune). She, in turn, had bought that vinyl directly from the band when she had put up a show for them on their Days Slipping By tour in 2004.
I got really really into this band and I still really love all their stuff. Even if they pretty much copied their sound from Evergreen, their songs are so good and special that it doesn't really matter. They were a truly unique band imo.
Their first album and Lead Blocks For Feet are my favorites but this was the first song I got really into. Together with Shovelglove.
A few years later he got rid of all his hc and punk vinyls and I got my hands on his copy of Lead Blocks For Feet, which he got from our friend Maria in Umeå (who we met and became friends with when she put up our second show ever with Suis La Lune). She, in turn, had bought that vinyl directly from the band when she had put up a show for them on their Days Slipping By tour in 2004.
I got really really into this band and I still really love all their stuff. Even if they pretty much copied their sound from Evergreen, their songs are so good and special that it doesn't really matter. They were a truly unique band imo.
Their first album and Lead Blocks For Feet are my favorites but this was the first song I got really into. Together with Shovelglove.
American Football - The Summer Ends
I first heard a song from this album in 2004 and I really liked it. Naturally, after hearing this album I started listening to the other projects of the Kinsella brothers and other similar or related stuff. But it wasn't until a bit later that I fully started to appreciate the entirety of this amazing album. I think for a long time I thought that there must be a lot of bands that sound like this or are kind of similar like this that I'm yet to discover. But more and more I started realizing just how special this album actually is and how no one comes close to doing what they did on this album. Not even themselves apparently. I personally prefer all the Owens albums over the new American Football albums. But I also prefer the first American Football album over any Owen album.
What I love the most about this album is the immense feeling of nostalgia. I am a true sucker for nostalgia. Maybe that's also why this album seems to get better the older you get?
What I love the most about this album is the immense feeling of nostalgia. I am a true sucker for nostalgia. Maybe that's also why this album seems to get better the older you get?
Feeble - April, You My Kallos
Not the Feeble with Travis Barker lol. This Feeble were from Sweden and made some really great emo-sounding pop/punk or "emocore". This band later became Iisole and they also released a couple of really good EPs. Suis La Lune played a show in Stockholm together with Iisole in 2005. It was great to get a chance to see them live before they stopped making music.
I think the singer went on to play in Suffocate For Fuck Sake.
I think the singer went on to play in Suffocate For Fuck Sake.
Louise Cyphre - Der Co Ste Brumaire Wenn Wir Menschen 7"
Probably the first German screamo band I heard. I bought this 7" and listened a lot to it. Everything they released is really really good. They also made me find many other great German screamo bands.
I had the pleasure of seeing them at Cry Me a River Fest in 2006, along with tons of other great bands. Too many to list.
A lot of people were playing football outside the venue before the shows started and the bass player in Louise Cyphre managed to break his leg (or dislocate it, I'm not sure) and he had to go to the hospital. I was most stoked about seeing them play and I thought that I would miss that chance now. But he came back on crutches with his leg all patched up just in time for their show and played through the entire set. What a hero!
Louise Cyphre also led me to discover power violence and other chaotic hc/grindcore bands like The Locust.
I had the pleasure of seeing them at Cry Me a River Fest in 2006, along with tons of other great bands. Too many to list.
A lot of people were playing football outside the venue before the shows started and the bass player in Louise Cyphre managed to break his leg (or dislocate it, I'm not sure) and he had to go to the hospital. I was most stoked about seeing them play and I thought that I would miss that chance now. But he came back on crutches with his leg all patched up just in time for their show and played through the entire set. What a hero!
Louise Cyphre also led me to discover power violence and other chaotic hc/grindcore bands like The Locust.
Death Cab For Cutie - Sleep Spent
Eventho Death Cab didn't really wanna be branded as an emo band, their earlier stuff is undeniably very emo, imo at least. I also love their more mainstream albums like Plans and Transatlaticism. The latter is my favourite of them, it's such a great album all through, every single song is great! But it was Something about airplanes that I first got into. I loved the weird recording and sound of the entire album while still having such great melodies and songs.
Jeniferever - From Across The Sea
Jeniferever incorporated emo and postrock in the absolutely best way possible. I first heard this album when it was pretty new and I couldn't believe that they were all just a bit older than me and lived in a city next to mine. I thought they were total music geniuses for being able to make an album like that. And it is still very very good I think.
Postrock was really big in Sweden around that time with tons of bands that suddenly got into that thing and a lot of great postrock bands popped up everywhere. But just a couple of years later it kind of imploded and no one seemed to want to be associated with the name postrock anymore.
This album is definitely the best one they made. Also, their EP prior to this one is great. From all the postrock bands that were around at that time, Jeniferever were a lot more emo-sounding, which I really loved.
Postrock was really big in Sweden around that time with tons of bands that suddenly got into that thing and a lot of great postrock bands popped up everywhere. But just a couple of years later it kind of imploded and no one seemed to want to be associated with the name postrock anymore.
This album is definitely the best one they made. Also, their EP prior to this one is great. From all the postrock bands that were around at that time, Jeniferever were a lot more emo-sounding, which I really loved.
Thank you, this is great list.
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