Thorn For Every Heart It's Hard To Move You CD

With its second full-length album, IT'S HARD TO MOVE YOU, the Chino Hills, California, emo act, A Thorn for Every Heart, hones its urgent sound, while incorporating more melodic elements. Easily one of the most accessible groups to fall under the "screamo" umbrella, ATFEH often pushes its hoarse vocal moments to the back of the mix, allowing frontman Kelvin Cruz's amiable singing voice to carry the soaring, guitar-driven tracks (see the majestic ode to youthful angst, "Worthless").
You can't have a much emo-er band name than A Thorn for Every Heart, which could help explain (but not forgive) the presence of as saccharine a song as "You're the One." All plodding acoustic guitar and light percussion, it's an early album drop-off into cheesy, maudlin terrain, but thankfully, it's an exception on a record that's otherwise mostly all driving guitars and surging choruses. Just as with their debut, A Thorn for Every Heart knows the meaning of the word "melodic" and their sophomore set, It's Hard to Move You, capitalizes on the cleanest of production (mostly, and unsurprisingly, courtesy of Matt Squire) and the most accessible of hooks. The band has indeed tightened things up since that first record, and those smitten by their rock then are likely to get hooked again. But really, even the catchiest of songs present here are nothing that will really stand out among all of the other inherently nasal-voiced rock bands vying for the attention of the fickle Warped Tour set. "Worthless" -- sounding like an even combination of ATFEH's last record and Jimmy Eat World -- is a highlight with its crashing drums and forceful backing gang vocals, while the spiraling guitars of the break-up centered "No More You" make the song not half bad at all. But the beginning of "Sounds and Silence" falls way too close to Your Favorite Weapon-era Brand New for comfort, and maybe that's one of the problems with this record -- it's just not distinct. It's good but not great; it's singalong worthy but not scream-your-heart-out-in-the-front-row worthy; it just reminds you of other bands more times than not. A Thorn for Every Heart are capable musicians, and their music is likable enough. Unfortunately, though, they just don't churn out anything to really demand repeated listens, which ultimately makes the album fine, but not quite enough to move you. ~ Corey Apar