1. a Departure 2. Harder Harmonies 3. St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church Blues 4. Edit Your Hometown 5. a Letter 6. Safer In The Forest/Love Song For Poor Michigan 7. The Most Beautiful Bitter Fruit 8. a Poem 9. King Park 10. Edward Benz, 27 Times 11. I See Everything 12. a Broken Jar 13. all our bruised bodies and the whole heart shrinks 14. You and I in Unison La Dispute is an American post-hardcore band from Grand Rapids, Michigan, formed in 2004. The current line-up is vocalist Jordan Dreyer, drummer Brad Vander Lugt, guitarist Chad Morgan-Sterenberg and bass guitarist Adam Vass. The band released their debut EP, Vancouver, in 2006 on Friction Records and then temporarily signed to Forest Life records where they released Here, Hear. and Untitled 7" in May 2008. Their debut album Somewhere at the Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair was released in conjunction with Here, Hear II. on No Sleep Records in November 2008. Here, Hear III. (2009), The Worth of the World (2010) and Never Come Undone (2011) then followed before releasing their second studio album, Wildlife (2011). Their third studio album, Rooms of the House, was released on March 18, 2014. La Dispute was formed in Grand Rapids, Michigan in late 2004 by cousins Jordan Dreyer and Brad Vander Lugt, Kevin Whittemore, Derek Sterenberg and Adam Kool; Dreyer was never a singer and did not write any music prior to forming the band but was a writer, primarily writing poetry and short fiction. During this time the band mainly played house shows or at the Division Avenue Arts Collective (a volunteer run DIY music venue, community center, and art gallery) in Downtown Grand Rapids. Chad Sterenberg replaced his older brother Derek in 2006 the day after the release of their debut EP, Vancouver (released April 14, 2006), which was the only release the band produced while on the Friction Records roster. Indiana based friend of the band Adam Vass later joined in 2007. It wasn't until the loss of Derek Sterenberg and Adam Kool that they took the project seriously. La Dispute signed to Southern California-based record label No Sleep Records in early 2008. Jordan Dreyer describes this move to the label as sharing a similar perspective on music, stating: "The primary attraction with No Sleep for us was that it was obvious through talking to Chris [Hansen] that his intentions with the label were in line with ours as a band." To fill in the gap between their debut release Vancouver and their upcoming album the band released an exclusive vinyl record, Untitled 7", consisting of two tracks which were extra songs from the writing sessions of their debut album. Also in May, the EP Here, Hear. was released, which would soon follow sequels, with Dreyer stating: "Here Hear we did as a challenge to ourselves creatively as a way to expand our horizons and also broaden the context for anyone else who is interested in checking who we are as a band". On November 11, 2008 La Dispute released their debut album Somewhere at the Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair through No Sleep Records. La Dispute recorded the album at StudiOtte in Grand Rapids with Joel and Troy Otte. The album's lyrical themes base around an Asian folk tale regarding the plight of a prince and a princess who are separated after marriage by a river they are not allowed to cross. The album doesn't use this concept strictly and uses it as more of a "jumping off point for similar struggles that people face." It was well received by critics, with positive reviews from AbsolutePunk, Alternative Press, Punknews.org, and Sputnikmusic. They did three release shows to support the album in their home state of Michigan: on November 8 at Skelletones, November 14 at the UAW Retirees Hall in Traverse City, and November 22 at the Howell Opera House in Howell. Their debut album was released simultaneously with the second extended play in their "Here, Hear experiment": Here, Hear II. The EP also accompanied the first 300 sales of the album. On December 25, 2009 La Dispute Released Here, Hear III. The EP was self-released via digital download off their Bandcamp page. Released as well on Bandcamp were Hear, Hear., Hear, Hear II., Untitled 7" and a two track Christmas EP titled Winter Tour Holiday CD-R, which featured two Christmas songs: a cover of "'Twas The Night Before Christmas" and an original song, "First Snow in Silent Grand Rapids". Although they became free to download, it was possible to donate money; all donations went to benefit the Well House Community Living of Grand Rapids, a non-profit outreach program in Grand Rapids that provides emergency shelter and permanent housing for homeless families. The period of donation ended on January 17, 2010 and $1715 was raised for Well House. All subsequent donations after the period have gone towards covering recording expenses for the band. Get The Purple Vinyl: https://www.hellomerch.com/products/wildlife-cd-or-12-vinyl?variant=244868912

• published: 07 Mar 2016
• views: 0