Lumberjack Distro A small percentage of unsolicited promos that get sent to Lumberjack actually make the cut to be included in our catalog. The Assistant is one such CD to stand out and make us wonder where the fuck we've been hanging out that we had never heard of them yet. The quintet shares vocal duties which means in addition to a CD that goes from screamo to power pop in minutes, you also get vocals that range from the most intense growls to beautifully melodic female singing. We mentioned that the songs are all over the place and it's true. Time changes are bandied about like they were commonplace and the blistering guitars swirl out of control and then settle down to a whisper with nary a warning. Listener be warned: There is a lot going on here. The more you listen the more things you will hear, and the more you will smile...this is hardcore. Double Edged Sword Fanzine The first time I heard of the Assistant was from reading the review of this cd that Lumberjack gave. They raved on and on about it, so my interest was piqued, but not too much...because is Lumberjack going to slam something they are trying to sell? Anyway, a few days before they were coming to town I picked up the Antipodes song and was pretty impressed, but not moved in anyway. When the show came around, I was mostly looking forward to seeing Forstella Ford, but the Assistant almost brought tears to my eyes several times. In this time where so many people are concerned with being the most crazy or getting the biggest pseudo rock star contract, it's incredibly refreshing and, dare I say, heartwarming to see a band play simply because they're in love with their music. I got home and put on the cd, not expecting it to be able to match their live performance, but it does. This goes everywhere...from tech metal, to pop core, to fall-on-the-floor-and-scream-into-your-guitar core, to breakbeats, and then to instrumental minimalist songs. Even though these 12 songs were written and recorded over a long time span and there is such a variety of styles going on, everything fits perfectly. It doesn't sound like they sat down and said, "Let's play really fast here and then go into a nice pretty part with pianos." It sounds like they made some music and this is what came of it. Included is a huge booklet with lyrics, explanations of the songs, and essays about everything from how the band started to the problems with consumerism, to the commodification of emo, to sexual abuse, etc. You'll have to listen to the cd twice before you can get through reading everything in the booklet. The Assistant is the perfect release for anyone interested in emotional hardcore of any kind. Or, if you're boring, you can listen to it like it's Dillinger Escape Plan or something and just jerk off over how good these musicians are. Honestly, if I didn't have to listen to all of these other releases so that I could review them, this cd would probably be the only thing I would listen to. Heart Attack Fanzine Apparently The Assistant features some x-you and i members, and that comes through on some of the more screachy emo tracks, but on many other tracks The assistant are in a different time and place. The sound is a combination of indie rock influences with pleasent melodies and lovely singing, and screaming emo noise, and fast chaotic emo-violence, and a bit of experimental trippy shit. Some tracks work really well and others are more hit and miss. The cd aslo comes with a really thick booklet that features lyrics and writings. All and all, pretty cool. Loudnet.com So I've been familiar with The Assistant since their first couple shows and every time I see them I can't help but be taken away by such brilliant insanity. I was very happy when I found out this CD had been released. It contains 12 songs, 4 of which appear on a 4 song cd made by the band for an east coast tour. The book'let' (size would make it seem to being an entire book) includes lots of writings about a range of different topics some of which were included in the 4 song CD's booklet. The lyrics are mostly along a political tip but also have a lot of emotional talk in there. Describing this outfits music is more than a hard task. Hardcore, grind, screamo, techno, pop punk, emo. They play it all and surprisingly play it all well. Groups of these songs were recorded in different sessinos and some do sound better than others but musically they're all masterpieces. A wonderful mesh of anger and emotion, screaming and singing, fast, slow, off-timing. It's just listening to the whole CD and hearing so much diversity and liking it all that makes this great. I guess that would make any CD great though. Recommended to fans of damn near anything. Saul Goodman Distro Crossing the line between just plain old hardcore and just about everything else, the first full-length effort from this NJ-based quintet finds them assaulting the listener from all angles of the music spectrum. From insane guitar lines supported by drums in the form of tightly knit chaos (huh?) with screaming vocals coming from every which way, all the way to acoustic guitars and sweet female vocals. This 12 song gem will have you captured in an instant. You'll sit there and try to figure out what's going on and even though sometimes you can't comprehend how a human can do what each member is doing with their instruments, you can't help but smile and get involved. Music for inteligent people from a band that should never be grouped in the same sentence as either the NJ counterparts or each member's former bands. I defy you to not be tranced by this record... It's also accompanied by a nice thick booklet with pages and pages of lyrics, personal stories, and commentary on the hardcore scene of today amoung other things. You won't know what to do with yourself!