MP3: The Gentle Act Incident - This city doesn't know me
Two of my biggest weaknesses: 1) well-played emo-pop and 2) songs that recall a certain (time and) place. "This city doesn't know me" could be about anywhere -- it's not specific at all -- but I find comfort in thinking that it's about The Gentle Act Incident's hometown of Göteborg. It's an age-old story, being lost in the urban wasteland, and one that I know well. I left, I'm much happier for it, but I do miss it. Spending last weekend in NYC for CMJ made me feel like a relapsed junkie. As for the emo-pop side of this, I hold all comers up to Jimmy Eat World's "Bleed American", a perfect example of emotional hardcore/pop music, and The Gentle Act Incident definitely swims in similar waters. The shadow of Sunny Day Real Estate is immediately apparently and further perusing of their influence list yields acts such as Last Days of April and Texas is the Reason; that seals the deal. There's no shame though, despite what you may think when you hear that 3-letter word, at least not in my world. I hear a bit of The Book of Daniel too, but that could also be geographical proximity rearing its head. Anyway, if you like hooky indierock, it all came from more or less the same place way back when. Draw lines, keep score, you'll figure it out. Besides, as I like to say, good music is good music and this is good music. Catchy melodies come in all sorts of packaging.
The Gentle Act Incident - This city doesn't know me