Artist: Emery Album: The Weak's End Label: Tooth & Nail Records Rating: 7 out of 10

Lately it seems that with each new month comes a new emo band. And January is no different, brining with it the debut of South Carolina-bred upstarts Emery. Thankfully, Emery have taken the time to craft a complex, art-damaged emo record that steers clear of pop-punk cliches or metallic bluster. First single "Walls" is a neat encapsulation of the different ingredients that make up the sound on display throughout The Weak's End . First there are throat-shredding screams, then quiet arpeggiated electrics, and then Taking Back Sunday-style dual vocals - all leading up to a big melodic chorus that's catchy without being obnoxiously so. Emery also employs the quiet/loud combination with good results on other cuts like the mid-tempo "The Ponytail Parades" and the powerful "By All Accounts" (Today was a Disaster)." "Fractions" works a similar sound to good effect, with well-placed harmonies driving home its chorus of "I wanted to mean everything to you, but this isn't right./ You keep coming back disassembled and I keep losing this fight." It's a typical heart-on-the-sleeve emo declaration, but you never doubt Emery's sincerity - nor their ability to deliver a sing-along hook like the one that really sells "Fraction." Elsewhere, the band switches their style up a bit. The too-short "Untitled" alternates between urgent, driving rock and delicate, stripped-down sections that allow the Emery's keyboardist to step to the forefront. The band also shows off their more aggressive side on the whisper-to-a-scream "As Your Voice Fades" and hard-rocking "Under Serious Attack," which features a potent combination of sung/screamed vocals and heavy guitars. It's tough to find any fault with this album, as nearly every song is well-written and well-played. That said, it might be tough to get your head around some of them the first couple times around, as much of The Weak's End eschews the standard verse/chorus template. That might be a weakness of a young band still working on their craft, but it will also keep Emery's album fresh long after the trumped-up hooks of some of their contemporaries have become stale. But once the emo fans get Emery's song structures down, they'll no doubt be jumping around and screaming along with them. - Todd Thatcher