Drop Dead, Gorgeous

It doesn't matter if Be Mine, Valentine is described as emo, screamo or even Zima, for that matter. By any name, this six-track, twelve-minute-long EP is an assault on the senses -- the kind of disc that packs a wallop and leaves a mark. Drop Dead, Gorgeous's size partly accounts...

By Michael Roberts

January 19, 2006

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It doesn't matter if Be Mine, Valentine is described as emo, screamo or even Zima, for that matter. By any name, this six-track, twelve-minute-long EP is an assault on the senses -- the kind of disc that packs a wallop and leaves a mark.

Drop Dead, Gorgeous's size partly accounts for its sonic impact. The group is six players strong, with a pair of guitars and Aaron Rothe's keyboards contributing to a lethal din shaped by Fear Before the March of Flames producer Kris Crummett, one of the genre's local experts. Just as important, though, are Danny Stills's vocals, which vacillate between feverish shrieks and guttural growls on "Bullets are Scene," an aural firefight that bleeds into the appropriately aggressive "Knife Vs. Face: Round 1." Guess who wins that fight.

Timid romantics should steer clear of the Gorgeous guys' mini-salvo. After all, this isn't an ordinary Valentine.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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