In the emo music scene, acts featuring female vocals – whether in a lead or dueling form – are becoming more and more prevalent recently. Paramore seemingly opened up the whiny boys club that is emo to the fairer sex, and other bands are following suit. Acts like Straylight Run, The Hush Sound, Automatic Loveletter, are just a few of the more popular ones. And although Chicago’s 1997 isn’t as well known as their peers, their new album On The Run is an attempt to change all that.
Due to their vocal stylings and the place they call home, 1997 is most likely to be compared to fellow Windy City vets The Hush Sound. However, it’s quite apparent that those might be the only things the two acts share, because they definitely have distinct sounds. Whereas The Hush Sound rely on more jazzy-inspired tunes, 1997 presents a more straightforward pop/rock sound. Moreover, 1997 use their male and female vocalists fairly evenly, unlike the female-driven vocals of The Hush Sound.
That pop/rock sound works best on "4 A.M. Conversations," which is driven by ringing guitar work and perfect execution of the back and forth vocals. Alida Marroni provides a whispery, yet powerful delivery in concurrence with Kevin Thomas’ typical emo-whine; and it all works wonderfully here.
"I Will Always Find You" is much darker and smoldering; with twittering sounds all throughout it, while Marroni powers things throughout the verses. The piano driven chorus, however, sees her vocals soar a bit more as the ivory keys are thunderously thumped. The track still could have used a bit of the vocal sparring though.
Towards the album’s end, "A Dream Of Form In Days Of Thought" is a bit of a surprise, due to how big and epic the track actually becomes. It begins quiet and quaint, but slowly builds to an explosion of emotion stemming from Marroni’s voice. A bridge with a small string section tops it off just right and shows some surprisingly quality musicianship from a young band.
\n is a pleasant surprise from 1997 that includes good work by every member. Their sound is nothing outrageously original, but it’s definitely worth a listen.
