The Juliana Theory

In 2000, The Juliana Theory released Emotion Is Dead, an album whose ominous title prompted studded-belted emo kids everywhere to fear for their angsty livelihood. But upon hearing the first riff of "Into the Dark," these hearts resumed their melancholic meter and could take a drag off the band's sweet, emo clove cigarette. Despite their genre constraints, Juliana Theory always showed promise of a more hardcore sound — and on their latest album, Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat, this hypothesis has finally proven true. Impressively recorded live in the studio (and therein reaping a rawness we rarely hear of in the Age of Schmancy Mixing Boards), the new release recalls the experimentation of previous albums with a harder, solid, prog-rock base. Perhaps this is their way of saying, "Emotion isn't dead — but it's not wearing thick black frames, either."