The Emo Diaries - Chapter 9

"Sad Songs Remind Me features some of the most beautiful, heartbreaking and essential music released so far this year, and the ninth chapter of the Emo Diaries continues to showcase the best the genre has to offer. The series' greatest achievement has been to give exposure to largely unheard bands. The sparse, desolate beauty of As the Summer Pass Us By from Iamuse is my favorite track; rugged northern climbs, dying autumn days and haunted memories effortlessly evoked by these Swedes. And there must be something in the water in Scandinavia as their fellow countrymen Surrounded do epic sonic damage with High Five Hiero, while So Sad Althea give us searing guitar heartbreak on the opener and The National Anthems make the perfect good night closer. This is a truly international compilation with the emotional charge of The Local Art being tangible even to those who don�t understand Japanese, while the liltingly brash Ask Emma by The Paper Champions excels. The boy/girl vocals of La Pieta are outstanding, as is Milton Mapes languid Big Cloud Big Sky. Chapter 9 is gentle and downbeat and shot through with a wistful sadness, but what really makes this an essential purchase is the solid gold song writing. This is music of beauty, melody, slow caresses, patience and gravitas. A near-flawless collection." - Manchester Music

"After listening to Sad Songs Remind Me for the first time, my very first reaction was, 'whoa!' The twelve bands featured on Chapter 9 of the Emo Diaries are impressively different. Sure, all of these bands have an intense nature, but none sound remotely like the other, nor do they sound like any of your usual suspects. You know...Weezer, Jimmy Eat World, At The Drive-In, Texas Is The Reason and other bands of said emotional inspiration. Of course, there are some real monster tracks on here, and each time I've listened to it, I've been blown away by three songs in particular. Finish Line from Michael is a fine rocker that reminds me a bit of a healthy mix of Spoon meets R.E.M., yet they don't really sound like either one. Milton Mapes' track, Big Cloud, Big Sky, sounds like vintage Bruce Springsteen, mixed with a dark, electronic heartbeat. It's an ominous epic number that defies classification and is a real mindblower. The best track on here, though, is also another epic mindblower; High Five Hiero by Surrounded. It's a quiet number that gets bigger and louder and colder and more intense and at the end of it all, you'll be scratching your head and wondering what happened. It sounds like an odd mixture of britpop and Dylanesque singer-songwriter fare, and as weird as that description sounds, it really fits it well. Deep Elm have wisely jumped on this band. Once again, Deep Elm have shown that a lot of the best music being made is not being heard, and once again their Emo Diaries serves as an excellent introduction to music you might not have heard elsewhere. A record that's worth it for the three songs mentioned above. Who knows, you may wind up with twelve new favorite bands afterwards." - Mundane Sounds

"Deep Elm is a name synonymous with quality independent music, the true independent spirit and the best compilation series on the planet. This trinity is again united with the release of the 9th chapter in the immensely popular Emo Diaries series; Sad Songs Remind Me. This time around the collection features twelve diverse acts with one common link; truly passionate and emotional songs. From the haunted whispering on High Five Hiero by Surrounded to the dueling boy/girl vocals of Avec, one thing is clear; each song on this comp has more heart than entire albums of the 'emo' that mainstream radio is currently force-feeding to the impressionable youth. I would be remiss not to mention The Paper Champions' fantastic Ask Emma, the simple yet wonderful track from At The Close Of Every Day and finally, the outstanding When The Light Becomes Green from the best thing to ever come out of Italy, Settlefish. In the end there is no way of getting around the fact that the Emo Diaries series continues to please with splendid collections of timeless songs. Chapter Nine upholds the high standard that the series has come to be known for and serves up a vivid picture of the beauty of music." - Punk Rock Reviews

"Take a look at some of the up and coming bands that have been featured on previous chapters of The Emo Diaries; Jimmy Eat World, Planes Mistaken For Stars, Further Seems Forever and a plethora of other talent. Give Chapter Nine, Sad Songs Remind Me, a year or two, brush it off again, and I bet dollars to donuts that a good portion of the bands showcased on this album will be indie mainstays. Just about every song on this record is fantastic and I hope we get to hear more from all of these guys in the near future." - Last Life Media