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''Emotion Is Dead'' is the second studio album by American rock band the Juliana Theory, released on August 29, 2000, on
Tooth & Nail Records Tooth & Nail Records is a record label founded by Brandon Ebel in California in November 1993. The label later moved to Seattle where it is today. History Brandon Ebel and Michael Knott conceived the label as a joint venture, before Knott backe ...
. While touring in support of their debut studio album '' Understand This Is a Dream'' (1999), guitarist Jeremiah Momper was replaced by Joshua Kosker of Dawson High. Shortly afterwards, the band had begun writing material for the follow-up album. In February and March 2000, the band recorded their next album, with producers Barry Poynter and frontman Brett Detar, at Poynter's Palace in
Little Rock, Arkansas Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...
, The Detar House, and Poynter's spare bedroom and living room. Described as an
alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
and
emo Emo () is a genre of rock music characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of hardcore punk and from the Washington, D.C., hardcore scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore. The bands ...
release, ''Emotion Is Dead'' took elements from
Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...
,
Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band members are Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Gre ...
, and
the Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also simply known as Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band formed in Chicago in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, guitarist James Iha, bassist D'arcy Wretzky and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. The ...
. ''Emotion Is Dead'' received favorable reviews from
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...
, many of whom commented on the dynamic sound. As of 2003, the album and ''Understand This Is a Dream'' had sold a combined 150,000 copies. Preceded by a few tours of the United States, the release of ''Emotion Is Dead'' was promoted with a Us tour in October and November 2000, and an east coast tour in early 2001. "Understand the Dream Is Over" was released as the album's
lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...
on March 26, 2001. Following this, the band tour with the likes of Squad Five-O, the Benjamins and Showoff, before appearing on the
Warped Tour The Warped Tour is a Concert tour, touring Rock music, rock music festival that toured the United States and Canada each summer from 1995 until 2019, and returned in 2025 for its 30th anniversary. By 2015, Warped was the largest traveling music ...
for two weeks. ''Live 10.13.2001'', a live album recorded during the album's touring cycle, was released in 2003. The Juliana Theory celebrated the album's 10th anniversary with two celebratory performances in 2010.


Background and production

The Juliana Theory released their debut album '' Understand This Is a Dream'' in March 1999 through independent Christian label
Tooth & Nail Records Tooth & Nail Records is a record label founded by Brandon Ebel in California in November 1993. The label later moved to Seattle where it is today. History Brandon Ebel and Michael Knott conceived the label as a joint venture, before Knott backe ...
. It was promoted with cross-country tour of the United States in mid-1999, which included a supporting slot for Elliott. In August, at the end of the tour, the band were forced to cancel a week's worth of shows due to guitarist Jeremiah Momper leaving; he was temporarily replaced by Joshua Kosker of Dawson High. Later in the month, the band said they were in the process of writing material for their next album, which they expected to title ''Emotion Is Dead''. While writing, the band listened to a lot
classic rock Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...
acts. They aimed to move away from the
punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
-esque nature of their debut, the songs on which frontman Brett Detar felt were too similar, by writing with keyboards. In September 1999, the band supported
Sense Field Sense Field was an American post-hardcore band from Southern California, formed in 1990. Originally consisting of vocalist Jon Bunch, guitarist Chris Evenson, guitarist Rodney Sellars, bassist John Stockberger, and drummer Scott McPherson, the ...
on their tour of the US. Kosker was made an official member in October, prior to a two-month headlining US tour. In January 2000, One Day Savior Records released a three with
split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...
between the Juliana Theory, Onelinedrawing and Grey AM; the Juliana Theory contributed "If I Told You This Was Killing Me, Would You Stop?" and "Variations on a Theme", both of which had been recorded a year prior. That same month, the band had finished writing and were in the process of making demos at Detar's house. Despite the group not being a Christian act, Tooth & Nail offered them a bigger recording budget for their next album if the band let them sell the release in Christian book stores. Detar's response: "Yeah we’re gonna take the smaller budget." The Juliana Theory spent five weeks between February 8 and March 23, 2000, recording ''Emotion Is Dead'', with Barry Poynter and Detar co-producing the sessions. Poynter also served as the main engineer, alongside secondary engineer Jason Magnusson. Brandon Ebel, founder of Tooth & Nail, funded the sessions, and acted as an
executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...
. The Juliana Theory recorded with both digital and analogue recording equipment at Poynter's Palace in
Little Rock, Arkansas Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...
. Detar recorded "Emotion Is Dead Pt.II" at The Detar House, and Magnusson recorded "Something Isn't Right Here" in Poynter's spare bedroom and living room. Poynter and Magnusson mixed the recordings, with advice from Detar and Alan, onto DAT at Poynter's Palace.
Brian Gardner Brian Knapp Gardner, also known as Brian "Big Bass" Gardner, is an American mastering engineer. He has worked on a number of recordings since the mid-1960s, including classic rock, funk, disco, alternative rock, R&B, hip hop, pop punk and dance-p ...
mastered the album at Bernie Grundman Mastering.


Composition


Overview

''Emotion Is Dead'' is an
alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
and
emo Emo () is a genre of rock music characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of hardcore punk and from the Washington, D.C., hardcore scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore. The bands ...
release, which saw the group incorporate vocal harmonies and influences from
pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, and J. Street, eds, ''iarchive:cambridgecompani00frit, The Cambridge Companion to Pop ...
, this in turn helped set them apart from their peers in the emo scene. It combined the alternative rock stylings of
the Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also simply known as Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band formed in Chicago in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, guitarist James Iha, bassist D'arcy Wretzky and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. The ...
, alongside guitar harmonies in the vein of
Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...
and
Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band members are Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Gre ...
-indebted experimentation. Detar said they became limited by the original intentions of writing uptempo post-punk songs; when it came time to write for ''Emotion Is Dead'', they wanted to take influences from other bands they liked, namely
Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
,
Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments ...
, and Radiohead. The band combined alternative drumming patterns with pop-esque
punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
, soft ballads and touches of new wave. Its usage of drum machines – spurred on by listening to albums by
DJ Shadow Joshua Paul Davis (born June 29, 1972 in San Jose, California, San Jose, California), better known by his stage name DJ Shadow, is an American DJ and record producer. His debut studio album, ''Endtroducing.....,'' was released in 1996. He uses l ...
and
Dr. Dre Andre Romell Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, and actor. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and co-founder of ...
– and hooks earned it a comparison to ''
Clarity Clarity may refer to: Music Albums * ''Clarity'' (Jimmy Eat World album) or the title song, 1999 * ''Clarity'' (Sifow album) or the title song, 2006 * ''Clarity'' (Zedd album) or the title song (see below), 2012 * ''Clarity'' (mixtape), by K ...
'' (1999) by
Jimmy Eat World Jimmy Eat World is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Mesa, Arizona, in 1993. The band is composed of lead vocalist and lead guitarist Jim Adkins, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch, and drummer Zach ...
. In addition to their regular roles as bassist and guitarist respectively, Chad Allan and Kosker provided additional percussion throughout the album; Detar also added keyboards and programming, and drummer Neil Herbank contributed additional vocals. Though some of the record is based in
pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...
, it featured some heavier tracks, namely "To the Tune of 5,000 Screaming Children" and "Is Patience Still Waiting?". The majority of the songs follow the structure of quiet verses and loud choruses; Detar utilizes
screaming A scream is a loud/hard speech production, vocalization in which air is passed through the vocal cords with greater force than is used in regular or close-distance vocalisation. This can be performed by any creature possessing lungs, including h ...
on a few tracks. Discussing the album's title, Detar explained: "There's not a lot of feeling in popular music right now. Everybody's buying into music that's completely created in a factory."Masley 2000, p. 52 Lyrical, it tackles the topics of alienation, loss, love and isolation, as well as some Christian themes. Magnusson contributed tambourines, shakers, jingle bells, and various assorted percussion to a few of the tracks; Jeff Jurciukonis played strings on various songs.


Tracks

The first two tracks, "Into the Dark" and "Don't Push Love Away", start with verse sections in a minor key that later give way to anthemic
power chord A power chord , also called a fifth chord, is a colloquial name for a chord on guitar, especially on electric guitar, that consists of the root note and the fifth, as well as possibly octaves of those notes. Power chords are commonly pla ...
s. "To the Tune of 5,000 Screaming Children" is about giving the middle finger to the group's critics. "We're at the Top of the World (To the Simple Two)" talks about the state of euphoria a person is in after spending time with a girl he admires. Its chorus section consists of "sha la la", and ends with a string section. The track, along with "If I Told You This Was Killing Me, Would You Stop?", were compared to
Our Lady Peace Our Lady Peace (sometimes shortened to OLP) is a Canadian alternative rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario in 1992. Led by lead vocalist Raine Maida since its formation, the band currently also features Duncan Coutts on bass, Steve Mazur on guit ...
and
Silverchair Silverchair was an Australian Rock music, rock band, which formed in 1992 as Innocent Criminals in Newcastle, New South Wales, with Daniel Johns on vocals and guitars, Ben Gillies on drums, and Chris Joannou on bass guitar. The group got thei ...
. "Is Patience Still Waiting?" is a slower song that was suggested to be about a friend waiting for Jesus Christ. It is followed by part one of a two-part instrumental, "Emotion Is Dead Pt.I", which was attempting to emulate DJ Shadow and
Unkle Unkle (often stylised as U.N.K.L.E. or UNKLE, occasionally known as UNKLE Sounds) is a British musical outfit founded in 1992 by James Lavelle. Originally categorised as trip hop, the group once included producer DJ Shadow and have employed a ...
, according to Detar. The upbeat number "If I Told You This Was Killing Me, Would You Stop?" discusses a backstabbing friend. Slower song "We're Nothing Without You" is followed by the
emo pop Emo pop (alternatively typeset with a hyphen, also known as emo pop-punk and pop-emo) is a fusion genre combining emo with pop-punk, pop music, or both. Emo pop features a musical style with more concise composition and Hook (music), hook-filled ...
track "Something Isn't Right Here". "Understand the Dream Is Over" was reminiscent of the sound of the group's debut. "This Is Your Life" initially begins slowly before picking up speed during its first quarter. The penultimate track "You Always Say Goodnight, Goodnight" is a piano-centred ballad that lasts for nine-and-a-half minutes. It features acoustic guitar work and electronic drum beats (programmed by Magnusson), which crescendos into more guitar parts and supplementary vocals from Brenda Tharp. Detar felt it was their attempt at making something
Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments ...
-esque. It leads into the final track, the second instrumental "Emotion Is Dead Pt.II", which featured additional bass guitar playing from Detar.


Release

In April 2000, the Juliana Theory went on two two-week tours back-to-back, before touring with Sri and the Operation on the east coast. The Juliana Theory toured across the US in July and August; they played with River City High and the Stryder, Now She's Gone, and the Operation on various parts of the tour. ''Emotion Is Dead'' was released on August 29, 2000, through Tooth & Nail Records. The artwork features model Tiffany Jack, and was taken by Rose Wind Jerome in Melbourne, Florida. The band held an album release show on September 29; it was followed by an October and November tour, and included an appearance at the CMJ Music Marathon festival. The band toured the east coast in January 2001; "Understand the Dream Is Over" was released as the album's
lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...
on March 26, 2001. In April and May, they toured the US with Squad Five-O, which was followed by a US tour with the Benjamins,
Lucky Boys Confusion Lucky Boys Confusion is an American rock music, rock band from the western suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Hailing from DuPage County, the band's music is a mix of rock, Punk rock, punk, ska and hip hop music, hip hop. The band con ...
, and Showoff, and two weeks on the
Warped Tour The Warped Tour is a Concert tour, touring Rock music, rock music festival that toured the United States and Canada each summer from 1995 until 2019, and returned in 2025 for its 30th anniversary. By 2015, Warped was the largest traveling music ...
in July. ''Emotion Is Dead'' was released in Japan on March 6, 2002, through Howling Bull Entertainment, and included the bonus track "This Is the End of Your Life". A live album, recorded in October 2001 and titled ''Live 10.13.2001'', was released in August 2003. Alan said the label had an option in the band's contract to release a live album whenever they wanted. He mentioned that the band could pick any show they wished. Six of the album's tracks – namely, "If I Told You This Was Killing Me, Would You Stop?", "Into the Dark", "To the Tune of 5,000 Screaming Children", "Is Patience Still Waiting?", "We're at the Top of the World (To the Simple Two)" and "You Always Say Goodnight, Goodnight" – were released on the compilation album '' A Small Noise'' by Tooth & Nail after the group's break-up in 2006. In 2010, the group reunited to play two celebratory 10th anniversary shows for the album. To coincide with the band's 20th anniversary tour in 2017, ''Emotion Is Dead'' was re-pressed on vinyl.


Reception

''Emotion Is Dead'' was met with generally favorable reviews from
music critic '' The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of m ...
s. The staff at
Ultimate Guitar Ultimate Guitar (Ultimate Guitar USA LLC), also known as Ultimate-Guitar.com or simply UG, is an online platform for guitarists and musicians, started on October 9, 1998 by Eugeny Naidenov and based in San Francisco, US. Its website and mobile ...
said it had "something for everyone; rock riffs, emo lyrics, ndmelodic rhythm". They noted that it was "very angry, but with a few slower more gentle songs." They added that the emotion that Detar "puts into his songs takes you to a whole new level in musical bliss." James Stafford of ''
Cross Rhythms Cross Rhythms is a Christian media organisation based in Stoke-on-Trent, England. It operates an FM and online radio station, produces radio shows sent internationally, and its website has resources about contemporary Christian music. His ...
'' asked: "How can you describe this? It's rock, pop, alternative. The point is, it has so much to it." He went on to add that " metimes it's gentle, sometimes frantic, soft then heavy. It is eclectic, but in a good way - it's versatile." ''Jesus Freak Hideout'' staff member Kevin Chamberlin said that " e of the things that's great about the album is that they break free from the stereo-typical emo-punk genre". He found the album to be "much better" than their debut. Tanner Cusick of ''
CMJ New Music Monthly CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events, online media company and a distributor of up and coming music CDs, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music ...
'' wrote that the Juliana Theory's sound was "most engaging when some of the gloss is stripped away and a punkier edge is allowed to jut through". He said that if it was "possible to subtract the insipid elements from
Third Eye Blind Third Eye Blind is an American rock band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1993. After years of lineup changes in the early and mid-1990s, the songwriting duo of Stephan Jenkins and Kevin Cadogan signed the band's first major-label reco ...
and modern
Goo Goo Dolls The Goo Goo Dolls are an American rock band based in Buffalo, New York, composed of lead vocalist and guitarist John Rzeznik, bassist and vocalist Robby Takac, as well as several rotating members since its formation in 1986. After starting ...
and med their good parts, ''Emotion Is Dead'' might be the shiny, cohesive result.
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
reviewer Steve Losey wrote that the band "embraced vocal harmonies and pop flourishes, fashioning a sound that helped distinguish their band from the rest of the burgeoning emo scene." ''
Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...
'' writer Michael Edwards. found it to be "more upbeat, almost jolly emo that skirts around the edges of that classification without truly committing to it." He mentioned that while they "do tend to rely on the same tricks again and again on every song", it was "hardly a criticism unique to this band." Punknews.org staff member Scott Heisel called it "just a very poppy rock record." He added that the album's first half was filled with "buoyant melodies that draw you in", while the second half "seems like its all filler." In a dismissive review from ''
Punk Planet ''Punk Planet'' was a 16,000 print run punk zine, based in Chicago, Illinois, that focused most of its energy on looking at punk subculture rather than punk as simply another genre of music to which teenagers listen. In addition to covering m ...
'', writer Russell Etchen saw it as a highly "diverse album, ranging from
Creed A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) which summarizes its core tenets. Many Christian denominations use three creeds ...
-like ballad crooning to
Refused Refused (also known as the Refused) is a Swedish hardcore punk band originating from Umeå and formed in 1991. Refused is composed of vocalist Dennis Lyxzén, guitarist Kristofer Steen, drummer David Sandström, and bassist Magnus Flagge. Guita ...
-like screaming ..This band will probably be huge, and that makes me so, so sad". Prior to the release of the band's third studio album, ''
Love Love is a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment (psychology), attachment to a person, animal, or thing. It is expressed in many forms, encompassing a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most su ...
'', in 2003, ''Understand This Is a Dream'' and ''Emotion Is Dead'' had reportedly sold over 150,000 copies combined. The 2023 Australian film ''
Emotion Is Dead ''Emotion Is Dead'' is the second studio album by American rock band the Juliana Theory, released on August 29, 2000, on Tooth & Nail Records. While touring in support of their debut studio album '' Understand This Is a Dream'' (1999), guitarist ...
'' took its name from the album.


Track listing

All music written by the Juliana Theory, all lyrics by Brett Detar, except where noted. All recordings produced by Barry Poynter and Detar.


Personnel

Personnel per booklet. The Juliana Theory * Brett Detar – lead vocals, backing vocals, electric guitars, acoustic guitars, keyboards, key programming, drum programming, sequencing, sampling, additional percussion, additional bass guitar (track 13) * Chad Alan – electric bass guitars, backing vocals, additional percussion * Joshua Fiedler – electric guitars, acoustic guitars, backing vocals * Joshua Kosker – electric guitars, acoustic guitars, backing vocals, additional percussion * Neil Herbank – drums, ethnic percussion, various additional percussion, additional vocals Additional musicians * Jason Magnusson – tambourines, shakers, jingle bells, various assorted percussion, programming additional electronic drums (track 12) * Brenda Tharp – supplementary vocals (track 12) * Jeff Jurciukonis – strings Production and design * Barry Poynter – producer, engineer, recording (track 13) * Brett Detar – producer * Jason Magnusson – second engineer, recording (track 9) *
Brian Gardner Brian Knapp Gardner, also known as Brian "Big Bass" Gardner, is an American mastering engineer. He has worked on a number of recordings since the mid-1960s, including classic rock, funk, disco, alternative rock, R&B, hip hop, pop punk and dance-p ...
– mastering * Camilla Slertman – band photography * Rose Wind Jerome – cover girl photography * Tiffany Jack – cover girl * Brandon Ebel – executive producer


References

Citations Sources * * *


External links


''Emotion Is Dead''
at
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(streamed copy where licensed) {{Authority control 2000 albums The Juliana Theory albums Tooth & Nail Records albums Howling Bull Entertainment albums