Very Emergency
A man dressed as a chauffeur facing forwards against a white background
Studio album by
the Promise Ring
ReleasedSeptember 28, 1999
RecordedApril 1999
StudioInner Ear, Washington, D.C.
Genre
Length35:06
LabelJade Tree
ProducerJ. Robbins, the Promise Ring
The Promise Ring chronology
Nothing Feels Good
(1997)		 Very Emergency
(1999)		 Wood/Water
(2002)

Very Emergency is the third studio album by American rock band the Promise Ring, released on September 28, 1999 through the label Jade Tree. Following the release of their second studio album Nothing Feels Good (1997), bassist Scott Beschta was replaced by Tim Burton. After a van accident, which resulted in a six-week break, Burton was replaced by Scott Schoenbeck. The band recorded their next album at Inner Ear Studios in Washington, D.C., co-producing it with J. Robbins. Very Emergency is a power pop and pop rock album that moves away from the emo style of their earlier works. It continued the sound of the Boys + Girls (1998) EP, and was compared to the work of the Lemonheads, the Pixies, Soul Asylum and the Wedding Present.

Very Emergency received generally favorable reviews from music critics, many of whom praised the band's change of sound, though some felt it was inferior to Nothing Feels Good. The band promoted it with a tour of the United States East Coast and Canada with Euphone. They ended the year with a two-month US tour with Robbins' band Burning Airlines. In early 2000, the Promise Ring played in Japan, and went on another US tour. Though they had planned to go to Europe, the trek was cancelled when it was discovered that frontman Davey von Bohlen had meningioma. After surgery and a few months break, the band supported Bad Religion on their US tour. Spin ranked the album within their list of the top 20 best releases from 1999.

Background and production

The Promise Ring released their second album Nothing Feels Good in October 1997.[1] It received critical praise, and was featured on best-of album lists for the year by the likes of The New York Times and Teen People.[2] In addition, it pushed the band to the forefront of the emo music scene;[3] they became the most successful emo act of the era with sales of Nothing Feels Good reaching the mid-five figures.[4] The album received airplay on college radio, and the music video for "Why Did Ever We Meet" appeared on MTV's 120 Minutes.[2] Bassist Scott Beschta was replaced on the album's supporting tour by Tim Burton, who had played with Gnewikow in his former band None Left Standing.[5]

In February 1998, the band were traveling back home from a show[6] in the midst of a snowstorm.[5] After Bohlen hit a bump on the road, their van flipped over. Bohlen, Burton and Didier were released from hospital the following morning while Gnewikow was in the intensive care unit for three weeks for a broken collarbone and other injuries. They returned to touring after a six-week break, though with Gnewikow suffering intermittent pain from his collarbone due to his guitar strap.[6] Since the group felt Burton was not working out, coupled with his broken arm, they replaced him with Scott Schoenbeck. At the time, Schoenbeck had formed Pele with Beschta.[5] Bohlen had head trauma and subsequently suffered form constant headaches following the crash.[7] In October 1998, the band released the Boys + Girls EP; around this time, they had several new songs that were finished and were anticipating recording their next album in early 1999.[8][9]

In March 1999, the band aired new material during a few shows, leading up to their European tour in the next month. Following the stint, the group began recording their next album at Inner Ear Studios in Washington, D.C.[10] The band stayed at the residence of Burning Airlines member J. Robbins in Silver Spring, Maryland and would drive to the studio each day.[11] Ahead of the sessions, Didier had sent Robbins a tape of songs with drum tones that he liked, which included the work of the Pixies.[12] Producer credit was split between Robbins and the band.[13] Throughout the sessions, Bohlen theorised he was taking a bottle of headache pills every couple of days as he was suffering from migraine headaches.[14] Robbins, Jenny Toomey and Smart Went Crazy member Hilary Soldati appeared on the album. The recordings were mixed at Smart Studios, before they were mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music.[13]

Composition

Musically, the sound of Very Emergency has been described as power pop[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] and pop rock.[23] Though it has also been tagged as emo,[16] it has been noted that the album moves away from this style.[23][3][7] It continued the pop-orientated direction the band alluded to on the Boys + Girls EP,[17] drawing comparison to the Wedding Present, the Pixies,[24] Soul Asylum and the Lemonheads.[25] Unlike Nothing Feels Good which saw the band work on songs from jamming;[26] for Very Emergency, a number of tracks saw Bohlen come up with a barebones rhythm guitar part and vocal melody, which the band would add to and structure around.[27]

The opening track "Happiness Is All the Rage" is a pop song that segues into "Emergency! Emergency!", which was compared to the pop punk scene in Berkeley, California.[28] It features a guitar riff that was reminiscent of the one heard in "Just What I Needed" by the Cars.[29] The rock track "Happy Hour"[23] is followed by the ballad "Things Just Getting Good",[28] which sees each member of the band being namechecked and features a reference to "Take Manhattan" (2001) by the Big Bright Lights.[17][30] "Living Around" was compared to the work of Fountains of Wayne.[31] "Jersey Shore" conveys the feelings of a summer ending,[15] and is followed by the Cars-indebted "Skips a Beat (Over You)",[18] which features backing vocals from Toomey.[32] The latter describes a person wanting to relive particular events so that they can handle their emotions better.[33] "Arms and Danger" includes a reference to Schoenbeck's birth year.[34] The album's closing track, "All of My Everythings", is a slower song that, along with "Things Just Getting Good", pre-empt the direction the band would go on their next studio album, Wood/Water (2002).[35]

Release

Very Emergency was released on September 28, 1999 through Jade Tree.[36] The album's artwork features former Joan of Arc member Paul Koob[37] as a chauffeur. Since the band had previously seen him with a moustache, they asked him to grow one purposely for the cover of the album.[11] Didier said the inspiration for the design came from the film Rushmore (1998), which guitarist Jason Gnewikow loved and wanted each member of the band to dress up as different characters.[38] The characters were based on each person's personalities, such as Bohlen being into sports, Didier acted as an architect, Gnewikow served as a hopeless romantic, Schoenbeck as a businessman, and Joan of Arc frontman Tim Kinsella dressing up as a priest.[39] It came out on the same day as the Get Up Kids' Something to Write Home About; the profile of the Get Up Kids and the Promise Ring were rising while their other contemporaries, such as Braid and Christie Front Drive, had broken up.[40] Around this time, they went on a tour of the US and Canada to promote the album with Euphone.[41][42]

A music video was made for "Emergency! Emergency!", directed by Darren Doane, and stars the roommate of Didier's girlfriend, in addition to Dave Kaminski and Schoenbeck's brother Mike, who served as their touring manager.[37][43] It also features Josh Modell as a milkman in reference to the magazine he was publishing at the time, Milk.[11] Didier and his brother worked on the script and then sent it to Doane.[44] The video, shot in Didier's place and his girlfriend's place in Milwaukee,[45] was made solely as Doane said he would do it for free;[3] the clip premiered on 120 Minutes in October.[46] In October and November, the band embarked on a two-month trek of the US with Burning Airlines,[2] Pele and the Dismemberment Plan, among others. Further shows were added with Burning Airlines, pushing the trek into early December.[47] The band performed in Japan in February 2000,[48] before taking a break. They went on a US east coast and midwest tour the following month[49] with Rich Creamy Paint, the Explosion and Pele.[50]

In May and June, the band were scheduled to go on a European tour with Burning Airlines,[51] however, on the day they were due to go,[52] Bohlen was diagnosed with meningioma, a brain tumor variant. The tour was immediately cancelled[53] and Bohlen underwent surgery on May 8, which saw his skull being removed and reattached.[54][55] Up to this point, he had been suffering from strong headaches whenever the band performed for a year and a half.[52] Two outtakes from the Very Emergency sessions were included on the Electric Pink EP, released in mid-May.[56] The band took the next few months off to recuperate.[57] In September, the band began supporting Bad Religion[58] for three weeks on their US tour.[52] While in Atlanta, Georgia, Bohlen woke up in a pool of blood on his pillow. He had to receive another operation that would remove the infected portion of his skull.[55] As a result, the band dropped off the tour.[53] They played shows in February 2001 to make up for the cancelled shows they had planned for December.[59] The album was re-pressed on vinyl alongside 30° Everywhere (1996) and Nothing Feels Good in late 2015.[60]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[17]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[61]
Entertainment WeeklyB[15]
NME[62]
Pitchfork8.2/10[16]
PopMatters9.6/10[28]
Robert Christgau(1-star Honorable Mention)[63]

Very Emergency was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics. AllMusic reviewer Blake Butler wrote that the band's "emotionally tense and sentimental edge has pretty much entirely disappeared; everything is happy, bouncy, and catchy as hell, which isn't always a bad thing". He added that the "lyrics have lost that classic Promise Ring feel -- they actually make clear sense a lot of the time. At times, the music just gets so poppy that it is sickening".[17] Tad Hendrickson of CMJ New Music Report found the album to be "brimming with ringing hooks and a deepening sense of thoughtful pop craft". He added that the band "embellishes these tunes with an assured but bittersweet maturity that reaches well beyond pop's often mundane sentiments".[24] Brian M. Raftery of Entertainment Weekly wrote that while the band had "solidified their indie following with pressurized melodic musings, their third album reveals a knack for hook-heavy power pop".[15]

MTV writer Steven Kandell felt that in an "alternative (read: better) universe, commercial radio would be crawling with gems like the ones that make up" the album. He added that it was "more crafted and polished" than its predecessor.[18] Joachim Hiller of Ox-Fanzine wrote that after a few listens, the band's music had "stuck in your ears and brain, every song is a little hit".[64] Sonicnet's Jason Ferguson said the "super infectious hooks [...] collide with rock-solid riffage [...] to create a very powerful brew".[65] Punk Planet writer Ryan Batke considered it an improvement over their previous album; halfway through his initial listen of it, the "melody had carved out a permanent home for itself in my brain".[66] The staff at NME wrote that the band have "gone one step further than the wracked melodicism" of their previous album "and made a pop record" with a "bristling catchiness that’s propelling them to the fore of US college circles".[62]

Nick Mirov of Pitchfork wrote that the band's "newfound commitment to conventional pop song structures and chord progressions appears to displace energy levels to detrimental effect". He noted that "Chorus integrity has increased significantly, but melodic development in verse lags behind". He said the lyrical "quotient [is] slightly higher than before, but given new reliance on conventional structures, still below average".[16] PopMatters contributor Justin Stranzl wrote that "by making a simpler record than its predecessor was, the Promise Ring have succeeded where so many bands have failed". He added that the "lyrical content never turns negative [...] and the tempo never slows" as the "intentional simplicity charms and energizes like nothing the band has ever done".[28] Critic Robert Christgau gave it a star and wrote: "Finding the tuneful poetry in a moment when most punks are well-meaning dorks going through a phase".[63] The A.V. Club writer Stephen Thompson said it was a "far cry from its more intense predecessor [...] Which is fine: The Promise Ring certainly isn't contractually obligated to make the same great record over and over". He commended the band's "approach to big, catchy pop" for being "admirable. The problem is more with spotty execution than faulty goals".[23] The staff at SF Weekly wrote that instead of "crossing over, the Promise Ring is content to hold court over a pop subculture — a subculture that's becoming an exact replica of the über-culture's insipid archetypes".[25]

Spin included the album on their top 20 best albums of 1999 list.[67]

Track listing

All songs written by Davey von Bohlen, Jason Gnewikow, Scott Schoenbeck, and Dan Didier.[13]

No.TitleLength
1."Happiness Is All the Rage"2:55
2."Emergency! Emergency!"2:56
3."The Deep South"3:42
4."Happy Hour"3:05
5."Things Just Getting Good"4:45
6."Living Around"4:05
7."Jersey Shore"2:39
8."Skips a Beat (Over You)"2:01
9."Arms and Danger"3:23
10."All of My Everythings"5:35

Personnel

Personnel per booklet.[13]

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Butler, Blake. "Nothing Feels Good - The Promise Ring". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 "The Promise Ring". Jade Tree. Archived from the original on December 4, 2000. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Jacks 1999, p. 68
  4. ↑ Greenwald 2003, p. 42
  5. 1 2 3 Huey, Steve. "The Promise Ring | Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on March 26, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  6. 1 2 Salamon 1999, p. 148
  7. 1 2 Cepeda, Eduardo (August 31, 2017). "The Promise Ring's 'Nothing Feels Good' Proved There Was Room for Pop in Emo". Vice. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Boys + Girl - The Promise Ring". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  9. ↑ Adams, Greg (October 14, 2022). "Rewind - The Promise Ring x Evil Beavers Interview (1998)". Gut Feeling. Archived from the original on October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  10. ↑ "News". Jade Tree. Archived from the original on April 20, 1999. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  11. 1 2 3 Galil, Leor (February 24, 2012). "An oral history of The Promise Ring". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on February 26, 2012. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  12. ↑ Mullen 2019, event occurs at 16:51–17:08
  13. 1 2 3 4 Very Emergency (booklet). The Promise Ring. Jade Tree. 1999. JT1043/7 92258 1043 2 5.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ↑ Weingarten, Marc (June 9, 2002). "Breaking Out of the Emo Ghetto". Anti-. Archived from the original on March 2, 2003. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  15. 1 2 3 4 Raftery, Brian M. (November 12, 1999). "Very Emergency". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  16. 1 2 3 4 Mirov, Nick (November 1, 1999). "Promise Ring: Very Emergency". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on February 8, 2008. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 Butler, Blake. "Very Emergency - The Promise Ring". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 12, 2019. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  18. 1 2 3 Kandell, Steve (December 8, 1999). "Polished Power Pop". MTV. Archived from the original on February 15, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  19. ↑ Wigger, Ian (2002). "The most important CDs of the week". Der Spiegel (in German). Archived from the original on June 6, 2002. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  20. ↑ Martens, Todd (April 22, 2002). "Promise Ring Poppier On 'Woodwater'". Anti-. Archived from the original on December 25, 2002. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  21. ↑ Stewart, Barb (April 26, 2002). "The Promise Ring Suffer Nevermore". Anti-. Archived from the original on December 25, 2002. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  22. ↑ Cohen, Ian (October 20, 2015). "The Promise Ring: Nothing Feels Good Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  23. 1 2 3 4 Thompson, Stephen (March 29, 2002). "The Promise Ring: Very Emergency". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on June 23, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  24. 1 2 Hendrickson 1999, p. 3
  25. 1 2 "Review The Promise Ring's Very Emergency!". SF Weekly. September 22, 1999. Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  26. ↑ Hiller, Joachim (September–November 2000). "Promise Ring". Ox-Fanzine (in German). Archived from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  27. ↑ Green, Stuart (October 1, 1999). "Promise Ring Very Emergency". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on June 8, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  28. 1 2 3 4 Stranzl, Justin. "The Promise Ring, Very Emergency". PopMatters. Archived from the original on September 3, 2000. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  29. ↑ Salamon 1999, p. 146
  30. ↑ Kraus, Brian (August 1, 2014). "Worship And Tribute: 12 Songs With Lyrics From Other Songs". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  31. ↑ Herboth, Eric J. "The Promise Ring Very Emergency". LAS Magazine. Archived from the original on December 14, 2005. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  32. ↑ Crainz, Zac (October 28, 1999). "Just Getting Good". Dallas Observer. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  33. ↑ Wood, Mikael (July 16, 2004). "Emo-plus". The Boston Phoenix. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  34. ↑ Mullen 2019, event occurs at 38:59–39:08
  35. ↑ Wild, Matt (February 21, 2019). "MKE Music Rewind: The Promise Ring, 'Very Emergency'". Milwaukee Record. Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  36. ↑ Butler, Blake. "Very Emergency - The Promise Ring | Release Info". AllMusic. Archived from the original on July 1, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  37. 1 2 "FAQ". The Promise Ring. Archived from the original on October 18, 2000. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  38. ↑ Mullen 2019, event occurs at 26:49–27:05
  39. ↑ Mullen 2019, event occurs at 30:09–43
  40. ↑ King, Ian (October 4, 2019). "Emo at the Crossroads: 'Very Emergency' and 'Something to Write Home About' at 20". Under the Radar. Archived from the original on October 5, 2019. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
  41. ↑ "News". Jade Tree. Archived from the original on October 6, 1999. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  42. ↑ "Tour Dates". Consumable Online. September 8, 1998. Archived from the original on May 27, 2001. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  43. ↑ Mullen 2019, event occurs at 22:30–43
  44. ↑ Mullen 2019, event occurs at 21:03–11
  45. ↑ Mullen 2019, event occurs at 20:42–59
  46. ↑ "News". Jade Tree. Archived from the original on November 4, 1999. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  47. ↑ "Tours". Jade Tree. Archived from the original on November 4, 1999. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  48. ↑ "Tours". Jade Tree. Archived from the original on February 29, 2000. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  49. ↑ "News". Jade Tree. Archived from the original on February 29, 2000. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  50. ↑ "Tours". Jade Tree. Archived from the original on March 10, 2000. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  51. ↑ "Tours". Jade Tree. Archived from the original on May 10, 2000. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  52. 1 2 3 Green, Stuart (February 1, 2000). "Promise Ring The Difference A Year Makes". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on June 8, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  53. 1 2 Heller, Greg (February 12, 2002). "Promise Ring Knock Off "Wood"". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 7, 2002. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  54. ↑ MTV News Staff (May 12, 2000). "Rock Beat: Santana, AC/DC, Promise Ring ..." MTV. Archived from the original on March 18, 2018. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  55. 1 2 "The Promise Ring". Punk-It. July 23, 2002. Archived from the original on March 8, 2003. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  56. ↑ "News". Jade Tree. Archived from the original on May 10, 2000. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  57. ↑ "News". Jade Tree. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  58. ↑ "The Promise Ring". The Promise Ring. Archived from the original on February 12, 2005. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  59. ↑ Tanzilo, Bobby (January 23, 2001). "The Promise Ring hits the road". OnMilwaukee. Archived from the original on June 22, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  60. ↑ Eakin, Marah (November 21, 2015). "An app for lists, live Rush, and 3 old Promise Ring favorites". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on November 6, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  61. ↑ Larkin 2006.
  62. 1 2 "Very Emergency". NME. September 12, 2005. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  63. 1 2 "Robert Christgau: CG: The Promise Ring". Robert Christgau. Archived from the original on June 23, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  64. ↑ Hiller, Joachim (1999). "Promise Ring Very Emergency CD". Ox-Fanzine (in German). Archived from the original on June 22, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  65. ↑ Ferguson, Jason. "Very Emergency!, The Promise Ring". Sonicnet. Archived from the original on July 15, 2001. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  66. ↑ Batke 2000, p. 122
  67. ↑ "The Promise Ring, Very Emergency (Jade Tree) / Rainer Maria, Look Now Look Again (Polyvinyl)". Spin. December 31, 1999. Archived from the original on June 23, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.

Sources

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