Subterranean Music Index: #14. Brandtson- Letterbox

Year Of Release: 1997

Label: Steadfast Records

Lineup: Mike Porter (guitar, vocals), Matt Traxler (guitar), John Sayre (bass), Jared Jolly (drums, vocals)

Genres: Emo, grunge, flannelcore, post-hardcore, alternative metal

Tracklist:

1. Round 13 (3:55)

2. Blindspot (4:27)

3. Words For You (4:21)

4. Still Life (6:11)

5. Days End (6:40)

6. Nineveh (5:47)

7. Strand (4:16)

8. Cloudless (2:57)

9. January (4:17)

10. Glutton For Tragedy (6:48)

11. Untitled (3:41)

In my endless search for glorious obscure ‘90s and ‘00s emo, Brandtson is one band that I immediately fell in love with. They were seriously so criminally underrated and deserved to be a bigger name. They are kinda well known among more hardcore ‘90s emo aficionados, but sadly are kinda just seen as merely “pretty good.” But personally, this album is one of my favorites of the ‘90s emo scene. Their second album, Fallen Star Collection, is often seen as their best work, and a minor Midwest emo classic. But while it is a great album that actually sounds unique in the realm of MWE, I actually prefer their debut.

Rising out of the ashes of spirit-filled hardcore band Six Feet Deep, Brandtson brings a similar level of mucky intensity with 1997’s murky Letterbox. This is a pretty darn heavy, pounding affair, yet still retains a potent melodic feel. It has catchy hooks for days, but it has this murky, very downcast spirit as well. It’s also one of the few albums I’ll ever give a plain ol’ emo tag, as it’s not quite aggressive enough to be emocore, not poppy enough to be emo pop, and doesn’t really sound like Midwest emo despite the alternative influence. It’s very grungy, and in fact was pretty much the last gasp from grunge’s already bloated corpse. It’s an anthemic style I like to refer to as “flannelcore,” typified by ‘90s punk bands like Samiam, Seaweed, and Farside, where the wonderful worlds of grunge, post-hardcore, melodic hardcore, and often emo intersect. Whatever it is, it’s powerful and intensely melancholic, it’s dark and unearthly, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s one of the very best ‘90s emo albums.

This is such a unique emo album that was really different from most of its contemporaries, and it’s a damn shame that this band isn’t revered in the emo canon like it so richly deserves. But I give this my wholehearted recommendation, and I think you might love this too.

FIND IT HERE-

Bandcamp: https://deepelmrecords.bandcamp.com/album/letterbox

YouTube: https://youtube.com/watch?v=_IKTbLLRrjM&pp=ygUTYnJhbmR0c29uIGxldHRlcmJveA%3D%3D (full album upload) and https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lVhnX-LCfVcNWqv0tYASWIJjBQaqXjAjs&si=9coqwkS8HBgO409x (playlist)

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7EsoSOf0UPZhDSJ3nOnB4E

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/letterbox/21319789

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/albums/B000QQTYYQ

Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/artist/brandtson/letterbox/ALtXrbphkKbr4k9

iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/artist/brandtson-61608/albums/letterbox-95750250/

Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/us/album/6286782

Amazon (physical): https://www.amazon.com/Letterbox-Brandtson/dp/B0B5BKSTS7

Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/release/884741-Brandtson-Letterbox and https://www.discogs.com/release/754281-Brandtson-Letterbox

eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/1660089559206KYaAlKGEALw_wcB (vinyl) and https://www.ebay.com/itm/385515783532 (cassette)