On Of What We Have, The Most create a sprawling piece of art that is very difficult to pin down into one particular box. Usually, I feel as if saying something doesn’t fit into generic standards is a bit of a cop out, but The Most have really perplexed me and challenged me on their sophomore record. Of What We Have is an exercise in taking rules of certain genres and throwing them out of the window. When I heard that this album was deeply rooted in Jazz, Math Rock, and Punk music, I was excited but a little bit worried that the rawness of punk music would be compensated for something a little bit more orchestrated. My worries were immediately thrown out of the window when I started listening to this album. Of What We Have is a perfect example of what a band can do when they let go of the pressure that the concept of genre puts on a musical group.
This is one of those reviews in wish I knew something about music theory, because I can hear things going on that I don’t normally hear on an album, as there are a lot of really interesting time signatures and other interesting musical choices going on that maybe I don’t have as much of an appreciation for as somebody who has that musical knowledge. I still really enjoyed what I was hearing on the record, I love songs that can change flawlessly and not awkwardly like ‘First Frost’, ‘Mile Run’, and ‘Woah! Hot Cinders.’ These songs change out of nowhere with very explosive musical moments throughout.
When it comes to this type of music, having band members who you can flow with musically is very important, and I can tell all of these members have a very deep connection and appreciation for one another, as songs that feel chaotic at one moment can be resolved and tied together easily. This is something that I’ve seen even outfits of 3 people struggle with. This band is almost twice that size, with 7 total members and seem to be finely tuned into one another’s minds. Some of the things that are going on in this record, as I said before, are things that music nerds will absolutely love and appreciate, which is why I think there has to be a lot of very well trained musicians on this record. I don’t see there being any way that the technical skills on this album could be done by a bunch of nobodies who have zero knowledge and appreciation for the intricacies of musicality. This is a very mature record that hopefully will get the recognition that it deserves.
For an everyday music fan, this one may be a bit of a difficult one to get into. It wasn’t made for everyone in mind, but it does definitely contain something for everyone, if they stay long enough to witness it. A lot of the transitions, while genius can be exhausting for the everyday fan. I cannot knock an album just because it’s inaccessible and my score by all means is completely subjective, but I just don’t think that I personally have a very well rounded knowledge for music and this record really made me question my own personal tastes in music. You see, I’ve always felt like I can appreciate and like almost anything, and I know that is the case. Before a review, I try to listen to a record a certain amount of times so I know I can give it a fair and honest shake, and I think this record is going to grow on me with continued listens, but I just couldn’t crack it, and I gave it a lot of listens to formulate my opinion. These guys really make me put my hands up and realize that I have a long way to go when it comes to my own musical appreciation skills.
Of What We Have is a record that was made by lovers of musical theory for lovers of musical theory. I think that music super nerds out there will be very excited when listening to this one, but it might leave others a bit polarized and second guessing their musical knowledge. I can really appreciate the time and effort this band took into making this new release, but this is a classic case in which subjectivity of a music critic gets the best of me, unfortunately. This record should be a lot higher on a scoring scale, but maybe I am not the one who will appreciate it the most, and I am completely okay with that.
Rating: 7.3/10
Favorite Tracks: It Starts In Your Head, Unlearning
Least Favorite Tracks: First Frost, Woah! Hot Cinders
Listen to 'Unlearning' from The Most's new album, Of What We Have below: