Young Legs

Young Legs, the third solo release from emo stalwart and Circa Survive frontman Anthony Green continues to build on the introspective, textured alt-pop he first introduced on 2008's Avalon. A veteran of several prominent screamo and post-hardcore bands on both coasts, the Philadelphia native has been intently moving beyond some of the genre trappings that originally brought him success, carving out a solo career as a thoughtful, literate songwriter. Much of the anger and fire of his earlier output has been subdued and transformed into a world-weariness more befitting an artist entering his early thirties. That's not to say that all of Green's emo edges have been filed away by the passing of time. There is still an emotional intensity that burns all the way through Young Legs, displaying the indelible stamp of its creator and preventing the songs from straying too far into the mire of adult contemporary pop. If anything there is a somber tone to the front half of the album. From the ominous, piano-led opener "Breaker" to the spare, acoustic introspection of "Too Little, Too Late," there is a haunting quality to both the production and the material that lends itself well to Green's high broken tenor. Conversely, the album also contains one of his sunnier efforts, the slick, upbeat "Anything." Working again with backing trio Good Old War and Circa Survive producer Will Yip, Young Legs presents a mixed bag of expansive, yearning alt-rock and reflective acoustic-led pop ballads that hits more than it misses.