This Afternoon - When Everything is Seven (1999, Elderkin)

Well, I suppose it's time to fulfill this summer's "emo" quotient for Wilfully Obscure, and even though it's the throniest proposition of the five genres I'm wont to promote (see the header), I'm still finding groups from yesteryear like Syracuse's This Afternoon that pluck at the right heartstrings, without getting too maudlin.  On When Everything is Seven, you'll encounter generous nods to Sunny Day Real Estate, Mineral and the like, with heftier dynamics I might add.  T/A weren't ones to wear their angst like a blood-ridden badge of red courage, but instead exude just enough emotive aptitude to dovetail with the natural ebb and flow of this record.  Interpunk has conveniently furnished us with a bio of the quartet, and there, you can also purchase their follow-up album, If We Gave Up Now.

01. The Properties of Trees
02. Sunny
03. Mechanical Heart
04. Violet Hush
05. Your Ability
06. Mannequin for a Friend
07. Glossy Colored Smiles
08. The Study of Habits

Hear