Old Composer REACTS to A Lot Like Birds - Connector | The Decomposer Lounge 

Kurt Travis is honestly one of the most inventive and unconventional vocalists in post-hardcore. He’s been in a bunch of bands, though rarely seems to stick around for more than a couple albums. He just always seems to pick the notes I’m not expecting.

Geebz... as an old musician... once you listen to more songs in this genre... you honestly get hooked by the complexity. Absolutely amazing/jaw dropping talent in bands like this, and they sound the same live. That's how good these musicians are. Really amazing stuff.

This is my friends band!! I went to high school with Ben and Cory and it’s blowing my mind you reacted to this!!

One of my favorite bands. The drummer Joseph Arrington is an absolute genius. I highly recommend checking out some of the other projects that he is part of: Royal Coda Sianvar La Taiga

I love this bands first full length album before they had a lead singer. It was so creative and weird. Such an under rated band.

In my opinion this song manages to have the most accessible screaming of the entire genre. You show someone who has never heard screaming this song and it somehow doesn't seem so out of place to them, like it makes sense. That's a beautiful thing.

Never thought I’d see this band in the channel, I used to love them! You should check out their song Kuroi Ledge

A Lot Like Birds are one of the bands in the same vein as Dance Gavin Dance and Fall of Troy that mix super-virtuosic proggy math rock with hardcore/punk vocals and (sometimes) poppy choruses. I slightly prefer DGD, mostly on the strength of their richer discography and their stronger pop elements, but ALLB's first three albums are superb and on par with DGD's best. I think the thing I appreciate most about these bands is their ability to marry the complexity of prog with the "ear candy" accessibility of pop without losing the intensity and aggression of punk. I've always thought of pop/prog/punk as something of a triumvirate of musical approaches whose principles repel each other (generally, the more "prog" a band is, the less punk/pop), but these bands have found a fascinating middle-ground. 15:50: I think the word you're looking for is polyrhythm, or maybe polymeter.

Geebz has a talent to immediately find something he likes in music he hasn't heard before. Even if he reviews music I'm not big on, I gotta recognize his way of breaking down music.

I the Mighty - The Frame 1 - Betrayal in the Watchtower. Criminally underrated band! The Human Abstract - Complex Terms /Patterns (The whole Digital Veil Album) Vela, Together We Await The Storm Moonlight Sonata covers

Kuroi Ledge would be another really great track from them

No Place as an album is truly ALLBs materpiece. Every song in it is about a different room in a childhood home being revisited as an adult. It starts from the front door and works its way in. Every song talks of memories and the sounds, the smells and the emotions. It hits hard. I highly recommend listening to the whole thing. The whole album is supposed to envoke a feeling of "unsettled", meldy and counter melody. Its truly a symphony of beauty.

Woah what an interesting song. The left and right are so busy, it's really cool, I could see myself listening to this over and over and pulling different things out every listen. I really love these videos, opening me up to a bunch of new music!

Sigur Ros should be a must for you dude. Their magical music needs your attention!

Really giving me a Coheed and Volta vibe. Very cool. Not what I was expecting.

Holy shit you did Connector. I'd love to hear Tantrum or Kuroi Ledge. ALLB has had some masterpieces in their day.

Hail the Sun vibes

Didn't expect this band to get a reaction! They have a few quality songs worth checking out

Kris Crummett is a fantastic engineer. He does a ton of the bands in this genre and definitely has a sound/style. Super cool.

This band reminds me of “Sounds of Animals Fighting” both in sound and name. Would love to hear you decompose any of their music. It’s a super group with members from multiple bands who came together to make 3 retry unique albums

Circa Survive! Also post-hardcore with some similar-ish vibes. Great discography. Hard to pick a song to start with but I think "Lustrations" off their latest album is a good start!!

this is one of the only bands of recent years i actually enjoy, i swear most bands today have no soul in their music. its like they are just making music to try to get famous. this specific album has so much soul. music NEEDS soul to be good.

Great band, Conversation Piece is my favorite album, lots of great tracks of there to decompose Vanity's fair would be good track, interesting abstract but not overload

The biggest little secret in my hometown!!! Ahhhhh I can never find any ALLB reactions absolutely nothing but love for this band great reaction Geebz!!

Dream house by Deafheaven would be amazing review. Anyway I can send money to make this happen?

OMG YESSSS, Kurt Travis is the clean vocalist here, he also sang for 2 albums for Dance Gavin Dance! Slice The Cake - Stone And Silver Part 1 - The Mountains of Man Textures - Awake Slice The Cake - Unending Waltz Slice The Cake - Westward Bound Part I - The Lantern Slice The Cake - The Holy Mountain Emarosa - The Past Should Stay Dead Emarosa - Pretend. Release. The close. Emarosa- A Toast To The Future Kids! Slipknot - Vermilion part 1 and 2. The Faceless - The Autotheist Movement 1-3. Type O Negative - Love You To Death Soilwork - As We Speak Circa Survive - Get Out Van Halen - Aint Talking Bout Love Cane Hill - Kill The Sun Static X - Destroyer Coal Chamber - Loco Deftones - My Own Summer Billie Holiday - Blue Moon Spiritbox - The Mara Effect pt.3 Fifth Dawn - Allure The Paper Melody - The Nightmare Academy Vildhjarta - All These Feelings Letlive. - Younger Celldweller - Switchback Shakey Graves - Roll The Bones (live) Glass Cloud - If He Dies, He Dies Ovid`s Withering - The Omen of Lycaon Rings of Saturn - The Macrocosm Rings of Saturn - Embryonic Anomaly Animals As Leaders - Brain Dance Born Of Osiris - Recreate Soilwork - Spirits Of The Future Sun Soilwork - The Living Infinite 1 Celldweller - The Last Firstborn The Algorithm - Floating Point The Prodigy - Voodoo People - Pendulum Mix Novena - Secondary Genesis Eidola - Humble Ledger (Gnostic States)

I really love how the composition of this song really reinforces the frantic urgency of the main character in the story. The album this comes from is a concept album representing each song with a room of a childhood home, and the different traumas that were lived through those rooms. This song is about the hallway and I think the difficulty finding a melodic/rhythmic throughline within the song is suited to how it treats the hallway like a labyrinth and how the structure of the house/the main character's life is collapsing within the greater narrative of the album.

A LOT LIKE BIRDS!!!!!!! LETS GOOOOOO !! ONE OF MY FAVORITE BANDS OF ALL TIME, SUPER NICE GUYS

I 100% recommend a deep dive into this album whether it be on RU-vid or in your own time. Lyrics, and videos as well as the musical master piece that it is. The album actually tells a story from start to finish and each song is tailored a Boys journey through this abandoned house and each song is tailored to the emotion within each room. Also if I’m not mistaken this was their first album. But like I mentioned from beginning to end it tells a story when listened to in order

Kurt Travis used to be the front man for Dance Gavin Dance on their Self Titled (Deathstar album) and Happiness. Can't wait for you to check them out. Love A Lot Like Birds because of my influence from DGD. Thank you again! p.s. Dance Gavin Dances guitarist Will Swan is why "Swancore" is Swancore. You could do an entire series on Dance Gavin Dance and the bands that were created from their influence and band members doing all kinds of other projects such as Secret Band, Strawberry Girls, Tides of Man(technically a band before Tillian was front man but still), Emerosa and so on.

This band is truly legendary and its amazing watching people continue to appreciate them and what they did.

Loved this! ALLB has been one of my favorite bands for a long time because of that intense and pure musicianship that really hooks you and doesn't let go. There's so much tension in this song, too. Even the releases don't really release. I could see that tension building up in you through the whole song, that was cool to watch. I'm new to the channel so I don't know what you have or haven't done, but it'd be super cool to see you do two very different songs from two very different bands with the same vocalist. Prancer by The Dillinger Escape Plan, an extremely intense and chaotic metal band, and Taman Shud by The Black Queen, a dark 80's-ish synth pop band. There's a lot to unpack between them and they're a really, really cool contrast for Greg Puciato.

Aloha Geebz 🤙 new band, new sounds!

Dudes, “tantrum (far from the tree, the apple grew rotten)”. Badass song, super creative. These guys have such a sick way of going from super ambient sections to wildly frantic hardcore break downs and mixed with splashes of funk and jazz. These guys are so sick

Your might be my main go to man for showing me new music. Thanks. Back to prog metal soon?

This album means so much to me. And the next one as well. They both helped me through dark times... much love to geebz and ALLB

Please react to The Mars Volta "Cygnus...Vismund Cygnus," "Eriatarka", "Take The Veil Cerpin Taxt", "Tetragrammaton," and "Cassandra Gemini"!

Very cool song. Reminds me of Thursday, Mars Volta, and something unique. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

i would love to hear what you have to say about the band Portishead. Tier composition fascinated me when I first heard them in the 90's. I know nothing about music and I couldn't stop listening to it and picking it apart. My Husband and i chose their song All Mine as our first dance.

Wow really excited to see this on here

Daughters "Guest House" or Slint "Good Morning, Captain" would be excellent choices.

Another one I’m surprised you unearthed - it was fun watching you do this one. Still really hoping you get to Karnivool - Sky Machine.

Truly Random Code by these guys would be a phenomenal track to review

Talented is the band that shifts. Thanks for giving them a shot ☺️💞🙏🏼

Gotta do Royal Coda now, Kurt Travis the vocalist and Will Swan from DGD are in that band.

the sound of us and for shelly are some of my favorites

You should maybe try At the Drive-In, Arcarsenal or something else off Relationship of Command, they're the pre-Mars Volta Post Hardcore outlet

❤❤❤

this track is amazing

Never heard of these guys, but wow. Mind blown, this is something I need to play for my muso mate, he'll understand what they're all doing and love it.

Really need to check out Eidola now, my favorite band of all time. They're part of the same crew as the guys from this band, but they have a very serious and deliberate tone. Their lyricism deals almost exclusively with exploring religion, spirituality, and philosophy (which might be up your alley!). They have such a breadth of sounds and experiences over their short discography, I'm sure you can find something you'll really dig. Love your stuff man, keep doing you.

My two favorite bands of all time are Tool and The Mars Volta and this band reminds me a lot of The Mars Volta. I just recently heard them and I feel like they are paying tribute to Mars Volta. This is based on their name and style since Mars Volta has a lot of birds, literal birds in their songs. If you have not listened to much of Mars Volta in my opinion you will like them more than a lot of bands out there 👍 they are in my eyes and heart a modern day Rush and they stand out in creativity and uniqueness and their musical arrangements are truly beautiful.

Great stuff as always. Closure in Moscow. Good stuff

One of my favorite bands and albums! Great breakdown.

Omg you did it a lot like birds! Connector is one of my favorites songs by them but honestly "the sound of us" is my jam from ALB

I don't know how many people have said it already, 7 months later, but I don't think there's much IF ANY synth going on in this song. The sounds you're hearing are all guitar effects. You might be surprised what you can do with guitar effects nowadays. They were really testing their limits with what they could do instrumentally with this album so they went all out on the effects and composition.

wow I can't wait to watch this video, you have such great energy! So excited to hear what you have to say about this beast of a track

Welcome to swancore

Songs from a lot like birds to check out the sound of us, kuroi ledge & vanity fair.

One of my favorite songs from this truly unique and wonderful band!

I love how it totally seems like Geebz has no clue where to stop it the first time😂😂 these guys are so sick

I would still be VERY interested to hear your thoughts on Sleepy Time Gorilla Museum.

My all time favorite band. I've watched you for a while Geebz but didn't know you had covered this song. Love it so so so much, so sad they broke up.

You MUST react to Dance Gavin Dance now!

I think one thing to note about these bands is that they know about that "line" of not knowing what to listen to, and they use it, very effectively i think. They'll throw the whole song out of wack, everyone will start jamming on their instruments, but it's still in some sort of time or beat, so it's like your mind is still trying to keep up, which makes the speed all the more overwhelming.

somehow found this in my recommended videos, and i love watching older people react to music i enjoy (im in my early 20s), and i enjoy it moreso when they understand music as a whole as well

Coming back to watch this again, I had a new sudden insight. It's damn impressive how experimentally technical and progressive this all sounds on the surface, yet after listening to it for so long- I have realized that what really hooks me into this song is how jazz influenced it is at the core. I have multiple times failed to describe the intuitive flow-mode feeling of playing jazz with others, but that's what this is. Right here. This is the sound of it. Locked in. You can't really outline and strategize it. It doesn't even happen when you expect, or force it, more often than not. It's a grip. A moment when you're milking the part and you look around at your bandmates and they're just gone. This song has that. Hell- even the drummer himself said that the intro to the song was created by feel. Damn. 😤👌

PLEASE DO A THEM CROOKED VOLTURES - NO ONE LOVES ME NEITHER DO I REACTION!!!!!!!

This is so awesome to see. One of my favorite bands, and I love their whole discography, but this album in particular is my absolute favorite. The composition, instrumentation, the lyrical content, is all done so well.

You gotta do Cory Wong by Vulfpeck. One of the funkiest bands out there.

Excellent choice for a review/reaction. Out of the entire post-hardcore scene, this band, and this song in particular, is on another level in terms of composition and artistry. I'd love to hear you do some He Is Legend, preferably something off the album I Am Hollywood. I would recommend the song China White.

I cant wait until he gets around to Carach Angren- when crows tick on windows or delves into some avant-garde metal like UneXpect or Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, even diablo swing orchestra

ELDER. Third eye purple level prog. Song - dead roots stirring. Been asking since you had you longer hair 😆😆 Potions by PUSCIFER on the recycle ♻️ ROCK CANDY FUNK PARTY. Super group to check out change it up Awwlright. I am still here. Looking for the one. Disappearing Deaftones !!!! I am still here thank you geebz aloha !!

Fall of Troy, A Lot Like Birds, and Fear Before are my life rn.

It's been a while since I've listened to these fellas. I love a couple of their albums.

This band is part of my favorite subgenre of music known as 'swancore' or progressive post hardcore. If you enjoyed this you should really dive into the Blue Swan Records (run by the guitarist of Dance Gavin Dance) catalogue. Hail the Sun Sianvar Eidola Royal Coda Stolas Nova Charisma Adventurer Wolf & Bear Sufferer Secret Band It's a cool little scene with a lot of amazing musicians and most of the bands on that list have overlapping members.

YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO RECLUSE, NEXT TO UNGODLINESS, NO NURTURE & NO NATURE. Just do the whole album. My heart will forever be broken that they split. Glad I got to see them play twice. I made them muffins and probably weirded them out. 💀

He finally did it! So stoked to watch this. I really appreciate that you take the time to reach to more niche stuff like this occasionally that won't get you all the easy views that other bands would. You're a real treasure.

This channel never disappoints! Thank you Geebz and everyone that keeps suggesting great music. I have been out of the loop on music for a while now and keep getting introduced to new bands. My first thoughts were that this wasn't really my thing but as the song progressed I found things that hooked me in. Several aspects remind me of Fair to Midland, I don't know if they were an influence or if I am just hearing vocal similarities in style and tone. Geebz, you should check out some Fair to Midland - Musical Chairs or Dance of the Manatee. Very underrated band in my opinion. Awwwright!

Pretty coincidental! I’ve gotten back into some of the older post-hardcore bands lately and A lot Like Birds is one of my fav! Really cool album! It’s a concept album where every song is about a room in a house and the many different experience that happen within them. Definitely recommend checking out this album for both its musicality and its lyrical/poetical content. One of my all time favs!

This has definitively DGD vibes. I dig it!

The Innocence Of by Royal Coda, please and thank you!

One of the best bands. Sad they broke up. Conversation piece is one of the best albums ever made.

Joe Arrington is probably the best drummer of the "Post Hardcore" genre.. at the very least hes my favorite..

Oh boy, one day you will get around to some Lucid Planet, and I know you are going to LOVE them. Keep up the work, you are absolutely KILLING IT lately man, awwwright

Yoooo I was asking for this for so long!! So cool to see it's finally being reacted to, thanks so much!!!

Please do more from a lot like birds!

Best Band, Best Post-Hardcore album ever made

Kurt is the clean vocalist, cory does the screams and spoken word Michael Franzino (lead guitar) is considered the composer for the band as far as I'm aware

Check out A Skylit Drive, This Town Needs Guns and American Football

I just viewed your reaction on Disturbed cover of Sounds of Silence. I appreciated your honest professional reaction. ☺ Subscribing ☺ love the dinosaur

Hi Geebz, Sorry my context was inaccurate. I know you know where the one is at. Just loving the gummy bears !

You should really check Hail The Sun Is a great band of the sceane, the drummer is also the lead singer, and is another level

Ok so now I believe you should do a song by sianvar. Sianvar is a mash of artists from dance Gavin dance, stolas, a lot like birds and hail the sun. They make some bangers. Also I'd love to see you do a hail the sun song they also put out some heat

I really enjoyed this. Great track geebz!

The vocalist's clean tone reminds me of Anathema. You should check out "Untouchable, Pt. 1" and "Untouchable, Pt. 2" off of the album Weather Systems. The whole album is worth a listen but those tracks are an amazing opener. (edit: Conversely, "The Gathering Of The Clouds" and "Lightning Song" off the same album also make a great pair.)

Oh man! Connector is a great song, but it should have been Kuroi Ledge!! Loved it Geebz!

Me encanta!

The singer for this band also sang for Dance Gavin Dance, so I hope another reaction isn't too far away after this. I'd recommend something with their singer Tillian though, he's got a really original and great voice to him.