Vanna, the post-hardcore outfit from Boston, first caught my attention with their EP The Search Party Never Came. I wasn't impressed, but I did feel like there was some potential that could have been harnessed and put to good use on the follow-up. Sadly, that didn't happen with Curses. Although a couple of the songs here are decent (The Things He Carried is quite catchy), the album as a whole sounds like it was put out by a band with an identity crisis. At times, Vanna do a decent impression of AoF or even Hawthorne Heights. Other times, they do their best to ape The Chariot. The problem is that the bands they mimic have already done what they are doing, and better. I must admit, I'm bias against the noisy crapcore that bands like The Chariot put out, but I do like melodic hardcore, so I feel like I gave this a fair shot and reviewed as such. There isn't anything here that hasn't already been done, and much better. And if you're a pop inclined post-hardcore listener (like me), you probably wouldn't like anything here anyway.

so sick of people writing novels for reviews... anyway, i like this CD. Some songs are not catchy at all, and aren't very good, but most are. "The Alarm" is BY FAR the best one. They have such a f###ing awesome sound...

You know how some bands like to pass themselves off as hard/metal/whatever-core just because they're loud? Yeah well that's not Vanna. A lot of bands these days sound like a wall of noise with someone screaming cliche lyrics that are largely incoherent anyway. Vanna is a hardcore band that actually makes MUSIC, not noise. The guitars give me the chills and the drums send my heart rate through the roof. Not to mention that Chris Preece happens to have one of the most beautiful voices I've heard. It seems that his voice wouldn't mesh well with the type of band that Vanna is, but it actually couldn't be more perfect when paired with screaming that is reminiscent of Dustin Kensrue (Thrice) with a throat more accustomed to being shredded. Vanna masters the blend of melody and intensity. You feel like you just got your face ripped off... but you like it.

"The Search Party Never Came", their previous EP, was an album that caught my interest. "Curses" is an album that holds a complete monopoly over my attention.

My favorites:
"The Alarm"
"We Ate The Horse You Rode In On" (basically the embodiment of everything that Vanna is)
"The Vanishing Orchestra"
"Trophy Wives"