Between the Heart and the Synapse

Bassist Brendan Brown and guitarist Alex Bars formed The Receiving End of Sirens during their first year of college at Northeastern University in 2003. The pair, who first started playing music together in their high school band Settle for Nothing, soon brought in guitarist Nate Patterson, drummer Andrew Cook, They played their first show together in March of that year, and embarked on a brief tour with Hidden in Plain View in August. As the band's success increased, Cook, Brown, and Bars elected not to continue their studies. In October, the band signed to independent label Triple Crown Records to record their debut full-length record, set to be released between March and April 2005. ==Composition==

Overview Between the Heart and the Synapse has been described as a post-hardcore release, incorporating elements of punk rock, metal, progressive rock, and electronica, and earning the band comparisons to Coheed and Cambria, Tool, The album's title is taken from a line in the track "This Armistice." Brown has said that the album explores internal battles between the heart and the mind, and between the real and ideal self. use wordplay and alliteration "Planning a Prison Break," as well as parts of "This Armistice," were written while Potrykus was a member of the band, and were re-worked with Crescenzo. "The Rival Cycle" utilized electronic sounds following the song's breakdown, "Broadcast Quality" begins with pop punk melodies before shifting into a breakdown The penultimate track, "Venona," was likened to Thrice, and is followed by the 13-minute closing post-rock track "Epilogue," which features a hidden track. ==Release==

The band began 2005 on a US tour with As Tall as Lions and Cartel. Between the Heart and the Synapse was released on April 26, 2005, via Triple Crown Records. To promote the album, the band went on a US headlining tour in April and May, including an appearance at the Flipside Festival. This was followed by a three-week stint in May and June with Gatsbys American Dream and the Rocket Summer, and two shows at the Vans Warped Tour. in September and October. In November, they toured with Alexisonfire, and later played a few shows with Saves the Day and Senses Fail. The video, which debuted on MTV2 and MTVu in April, depicted Adrian Amodeo, the band's manager, walking through a series of doors before passing through the final one, where the band is performing for a crowd of students. In March 2006, Bars fell down a flight of stairs, where he suffered a scapular fracture, three fractured ribs, a punctured lung, and damaged vertebrae. In spite of this, the band chose not to cancel their spring headlining tour, with support from A Thorn for Every Heart, As Tall as Lions, the Blackout Pact, Yesterdays Rising, My American Heart, I am the Avalanche, and Hit the Lights. In May 2006, they played at The Bamboozle festival in New Jersey. On May 21, 2006, Crescenzo left the band, citing "many factors, personal and creative." He was temporarily replaced by a friend, Over the summer, the band supported Boys Night Out on their headlining Canadian tour and Circa Survive on their US headlining tour. Following this, they toured the UK with Fightstar, in October and November. Cody Bonnette of As Cities Burn filled Crescenzo's role for three months, and was replaced by Brian Southall of Boys Night Out, formerly the band's touring manager. Between the Heart and the Synapse was released on vinyl in 2010, with a bonus track titled "Weightless Underwater" and new artwork from Matt Adams, who was inspired by the original while he was in college. ==Reception==

Between the Heart and the Synapse was met with generally favourable reviews from music critics. Sputnikmusic staff member Rowan5215 found it difficult to "nail down just what makes [it] such a goddamn great record," and praised the "amazingly co-ordinated and fierce" vocal harmonies, with each member "shining in their respective rights," while still "working as a flawless part of the team." AllMusic reviewer Bret Love wrote that it was "a pretty rare thing" to discover an act with an original sound, while proclaiming the band's genre-bending as "an engaging aural assault that is uniquely their own." He complimented producer Matt Squire for doing an "impressive job of capturing" the guitar work in a "crisp, clean mix that ensures not a single detail goes unnoticed." JR of IGN wrote that the band was "invested with a capacity for intriguing songwriting and an undeniable musicianship ... The music itself defies comprehensive description." He was also astounded by the varying mix of genres, saying that "the sound is too ethereal, too uniquely nuanced." Some criticism was levied at the album's length. Punknews.org staff member Brian Shultz gave credit to the band's "potential and likewise developing talent," but considered Between the Heart and the Synapse "a tad overambitious for a debut," even if the band was able "to keep your attention intact for the disc's duration." Kaj Roth of Melodic, meanwhile, decried the album as adding "nothing new to the genre," and declared that "70 minutes is way too long for any emo band." ==Track listing==

Track listing per booklet. ==Personnel==

Personnel per booklet. The Receiving End of Sirens • Andrew Cook – drums, additional percussion • Alex Bars – guitar, vocals • Brendan Brown – bass, vocals • Nate Patterson – guitar • Casey Crescenzo – guitar, vocals, sequencing, piano, electric sitar Additional musicians • PJ Tepe – guest vocals (tracks 2, 8 and 13) • Jani Zubkovs – guest vocals (tracks 2, 8 and 13) • Justin Williams – guest vocals (tracks 2, 8 and 13) • Archie Jamieson – guest vocals (tracks 2, 8 and 13) • Ian Dexter – guest vocals (tracks 2, 8 and 13) • Matt Flanders – guest vocals (tracks 2, 8 and 13) • Anthony Green – guest vocals (tracks 10 and 13) Production and design • Matt Squire – producer • The Receiving End of Sirens – producer • Casey Crescenzo – additional production (tracks 1 and 7) • Changethethought – album art, design ==References==