The Almost is the side project of Underoath drummer/singer Aaron Gillespie. He is the melodic half of Underoath’s vocal duo, and on Southern Weather he branched out of the hardcore/metal scene and delivered a straight up rock record. Fans of Underoath may have been a little surprised at this venture, but anyone who listens to Underoath knows Gillespie can write hooks with the best of them. What’s interesting to me is that Gillespie wrote this entire album by himself and recorded all the instruments on the record save for a few notes here and there. He did all of this in his downtime while Underoath were recording Define the Great Line, and he single handedly made a better album that a lot of bands out there that have been playing for years. You’ve probably heard or seen the video for the great first single and album open “Say This Sooner,” which is probably the catchiest song on the album. With the Almost, Gillespie is not afraid to wear his Christian beliefs on his sleeve. On “Dirty and Left Out” he gets a little help from former Sunny Day Real Estate front man Jeremy Enigk and the borrow some lines from the Gaither classic “Something About That Name.” The chorus of “Amazing Because It Is” is the first verse of “Amazing Grace” with a new melody. The Almost just recently put out a new video for the title track “Southern Weather,” one of my other favorites on the record. It was difficult to decide which song to post because they’re all almost equally good, but I went with the album closer “Everything That Makes Me Sick.” It has a soaring melody and great guitar lines and is a good one to end the album with. As much as I like Underoath, I know they won’t last forever and it’s good to know that Gillespie is capable of making music this good. I look forward to hearing more. The Almost - "Everything That Makes Me Sick"
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