Richie Birkenhead's voice is polarizing. Either you love the Underdog/Into Another frontman's falsetto or you find it torturous and grating (like a certain prick I know). Personally, I adore Into Another. They were emo before emo existed — in those days, they were frequently referred to as "post-hardcore" — and they were truly difficult to pigeonhole; managing to gel the members' various interests into a cohesive, eclectic sound. There was Drew Thomas as the mod drummer, the late Tony Bono was their bass player with a metal past, guitarist Peter Moses who added a psychedelic tinge and some of the prettiest tones ever heard, and, of course, Birkenhead brought the vegan hotness.
Though completely different from one another upon sight, the foursome made it work by creating music that reflected their personalities but defied all boundaries and categories. After three official albums (plus the record only released in Germany) and a handful of EPs, Into Another succumb to the curse of Hollywood Records and split up. And to date, they remain the only band whose logo I'd readily tattoo on my body—if only because they wrote my favorite song of all time ("Two Snowflakes").
Recently, it was announced that Into Another would be performing at one of the Revelation Records anniversary shows in California, with murmurs that they'd be adding an East Coast date to the mix. Good? Sure. But rumors that Moses will not be joining them dampens things as his guitar sound is so unique.
Love 'em or hate em? Can't know unless you try. Shut up and listen to Into Another.
