The Early November‘s first full length The Room’s Too Cold turns ten years old next week, and PropertyOfZack is launching our next Decade feature in honor of the album today! We have commentary on the record from guitarist Joe Marro and drummer Jeff Kummer, as well as POZ team members Becky Kovach, Donald Wagenblast, Deanna Chapman and Adrienne Fisher. Enjoy and reblog to let us know your thoughts on The Room’s Too Cold ten years later!
How The Room’s Too Cold holds up in 2013
I think it holds up pretty well. The things that make it maybe sound a bit dated are lame anyway. Yeah, there’s some pitch issues, some timing issues, God knows what I was even playing, but that’s more or less how records of that type sounded. We were right on the cusp of the days before everything was auto-tuned and super polished. We grew up listening to certain records and they sounded great. We wanted to make something like that. – Joe Marro
In this case, the question isn’t “how well does it hold up,” but “what exactly makes this such an unforgettable album?” It could be Ace Enders’ rasping vocals as he half-sings, half-screams “I’m not special” in acoustic opener “Ever So Sweet.” Or the punk edge in harder-hitting tracks like “Something That Produces Results.” Or the buildup of guitars in “Fluxy.” Or the softly distant guitar melody that plays as Enders sings the opening lines of closer “Everything’s Too Cold…But You’re So Hot.” In reality, it’s all these things and so much more.
Sometimes in life, you encounter something that sticks with you long after it is gone: a person, a place, a book, an album. Whatever it is, it leaves an impression in ways that you can’t always understand, though you know that it has changed you. The Early November’s The Room’s Too Cold is one of those things. I’ve listened to this album so many times since its release 10 years ago, yet every time I do I find something new to latch onto and internalize. A new lesson, words that fit an emotion I couldn’t quite explain. It’s self-realization set to a soundtrack, beautiful and haunting and every bit as good as it was the first time I gave it a listen. – Becky Kovach
Like any album, I think it really depends on what people are going through, how they connect with it, and if they’re exposed to it. I absolutely love this album. I wouldn’t do anything differently. Do I think it would have the same impact in 2013 as opposed to 2003? Not necessarily. I think it would still hold weight but I don’t know if people would gravitate to it as quickly as they did in 2003. In 2003, everyone knew this album was coming out. In 2003, people would buy anything and everything that Drive-Thru Records released. That’s just the way it was. We just happened to make the right album at the right time. People were expecting a pop-punk album. What they got had more substance, it wasn’t overproduced or overplayed on, and it was real. People could feel that. I can still feel it when I listen to it. – Jeff Kummer
Most important track on The Room’s Too Cold
Probably “Ever So Sweet”. It’s still one of, if not the most, popular song we play. My personal favorite was always “The Mountain Range in My Living Room” though. I think we unintentionally created our signature on that song. Super dynamic. Loud then quiet. Crashing and chaotic and then it comes back around at the end. Very fun to play live. – Joe Marro
The clear-cut choice here also happens to be (arguably) the definitive Early November song, “Ever So Sweet.” If you’ve seen The Early November since The Room’s Too Cold was released, then chances are you’ve heard this as the last song they played, and with good reason: With Ace Enders crooning his heartbroken lyrics over quiet verses and sweeping choruses, the song has become one of the more well-known and emotional sing-alongs in the scene. The song sets itself apart from the rest on the album (and nearly every other TEN song) during the bridge, however, with Enders providing his signature shouts: “Can’t you see the wall you built for me? I’m not special, I’m not special. We’re not special, we’re not special…” If that doesn’t send chills down your spine, seeing the band (and a few thousand of their fans) scream it to you will certainly show you how much it means to the band, and why it’s the shining star of The Room’s Too Cold. – Donald Wagenblast
For me, it’s “Baby Blue." I loved that one from the start. I’m pretty sure I had to convince Ace not to throw it away. I have a sentimental attachment to it. We were going to leave a beautiful baby stranded with no home. I stuck up for it, we cared for it, mothered it, released it, and then got sued. – Jeff Kummer
Did the band succeed in following up The Room’s Too Cold?
Partially, yes. I think we served that record by fine-tuning what we started with TRTC. We all became better players. Ace became a much better singer. We had more time in the studio, etc. There are some really phenomenal songs on TMTMATP, however, we may have overindulged a bit. It was and still is a lot to take in. – Joe Marro
The Early November put out a great debut album with The Room’s Too Cold and then followed it up with a monster of an album, The Mother, The Mechanic, and The Path. The three-disc feat was by all means a concept release for the band. It took three years for The Early November to put out another full-length album, but it’s safe to say that this more than fulfills the requirements for a full length. Each disc has its own sound. The Mechanic shows the more “rock” side of the band and is clearly what would have been the ideal follow up to The Room’s Too Cold had the band decided to only release one album. The Mother is a mainly unplugged album that shows shades of The Acoustic EP and Ender’s solo work done under the name of I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody’s Business. The Path was definitely the newest concept for the band with its back-and-forth between dialogue and more blues/folk music. This third album covers psychiatric sessions of a young boy and was by all means an interesting addition to this three-disc work.
Despite the intimidation of having three full-length albums to listen to, The Mother, The Mechanic, and The Path was a successful release for the band. In just six months, they had sold over 78,000 albums and for a sophomore effort on an indie label, I don’t think they could have asked for more. It was a very unique release for the band and they have yet to do another like it since. – Deanna Chapman
At the time, yes. Looking back, there are things we could’ve done differently. You nitpick over time, but in fairness, we knew what we were getting into. We knew we could’ve made the slick rock album that would’ve taken us to the next level. We collectively decided to do something different, challenge ourselves, and be creative. At the end of that project, we were proud of what we did. If that album took off, we would’ve thought we were unstoppable. Instead, It didn’t do as well as everyone had hoped. That hurt our pride a great deal and brought us back to reality. Looking back, we may have needed that. – Jeff Kummer
Legacy of The Room’s Too Cold
I’ll start by saying that I have no intention of comparing TRTC to any other record sonically or quality wise. To me, I wanted us to make a record that would resonate with people the way some records resonated with me. Clarity by Jimmy Eat World, Nothing Feels Good by The Promise Ring, Orange Rhyming Dictionary by Jets to Brazil, Four Minute Mile by The Get Up Kids and Thriller by New End Original were sort of the huge ones for me when I was 18. Those are untouchable records. Somewhere, there may have been a kid who never heard those records because he was too young or whatever but he did come across TRTC. If that kid felt anything like what I felt when I first heard my favorite records at that very pivotal time in my life, then mission accomplished. – Joe Marro
After that fiery debut EP on Drive-Thru that introduced some of the poppier fan favorites in The Early November’s catalog, TRTC scaled it back a little, offering a more reflective and definitely more “emo” release. In an era (and on a label) where it was entirely too easy to put out a fast, melodic record and find yourself basking in underground jollification, The Early November instead focused their efforts on the first big-boy full length in songs that were softer and a bit darker than their previous work or the material of their contemporaries. It landed well – songs like “Ever So Sweet” and “Baby Blue” are still heartily cherished by fans to this day, and if I can speak from memory, the shows they played while supporting this record absolutely ripped. It can probably be identified in TEN’s catalog as the most cohesive and/or approachable record – I’m not going to lie, that triple-disc was (and is) pretty intimidating. – Adrienne Fisher
I feel like The Room’s Too Cold is an album that takes you right backs to where you were when it hit you the hardest. I’ve talked to a lot of people about it — friends, bands, fans, etc. Everyone has a story attached to the album. That’s why it’s special to a lot of people. The album comes with baggage. If you forgot what you were going through 10 years ago, you can put it on and it will remind you of everything you forgot. The good stuff, the bad stuff, and sometimes, the in-between stuff. – Jeff Kummer
How The Room’s Too Cold changed the band’s future
I feel like it set us aside in a lot of ways. From the first note, you could tell we weren't going for the same thing a lot of other young bands in the scene were. We started out with an acoustic song. There was no screaming. We knew it wasn’t what was fashionable at the time, but we had something very unique to say. We never wanted to be in a band just to be in a band and tour or whatever. We wanted to be in a band because we thought we had something of importance to say. Whether or not it was important or even effective is not for me to decide but we made exactly the record we set out to make. I think people found that refreshing at the time and that’s what took us to the next step. – Joe Marro
Putting out a full-length record is always a pretty big deal, and putting out your first full-length record is an even huger deal if you’ve got any eyes on you at all. TRTC came out at the tail end of the Drive-Thru Records sweet spot and brought in tours galore for them with other visibly active bands like Hey Mercedes, Saves the Day, and the Starting Line. The release of the record really secured TEN’s reputation as a band to which one should be paying attention, not to mention nailing down their legacy as one of the late and great New Jersey wunderkind emo bands. No longer were they just another bunch of dudes who happened to have a solid EP or appeared on a few comps! With this release, TEN proved what kind of substance and songwriting they intended on bringing to their career, which carried over into the beginning of Ace Ender’s solo project as well as the oft-described “ambitious” triple-disc record to come in the following years. – Adrienne Fisher
It gave me a future. It gave me a career in an industry that people dream to be a part of. It gave me an opportunity to do what I love to do. I owe a lot of happiness to it because without it, I wouldn’t be where I am today. – Jeff Kummer
How does The Room’s Too Cold fit into the band’s catalog today?
It set the course of everything we would or will ever do. No matter what we get into personally or write separately The Early November will always have elements of TRTC in it. I think it some ways, we’re still just refining what we started on that record. Everyone is light years better now but there was something special in getting a bunch of kids in a room with no preconceived ideas of how to make a record and telling them to make a record. As a musician and a band, I hope we never lose that. – Joe MarroAt this point I’ve played it out. On the rare occasion that I do listen to it, I make sure to listen to it in full… then I cry a little. I'm being serious. – Jeff Kummer