Campground Effect, a three-piece from San Diego, is reminiscent of a hardcore Black Heart Procession -- particularly in their more atmospheric and trancy moments, like the 15 minute epic album closer "Lifter". Other tracks evolve from their more hardcore-a-la-Fugazi proclivities. The opener, "Take", is a grabbing emo-esque track in this vein.

Despite the fact that Campground Effect has a lot of things going for it, this album has me totally conflicted. As of this writing, I've probably listened to it about twelve times. Sometimes I love it, and sometimes I can't stand it. For example, the band does a cover of Cyndi Lauper's "Money Changes Everything", which alternately makes me smile and cringe. As a Cyndi Lauper cover it’s sheer brilliance; outside of the Lauper context, it’s just not that interesting.

For lack of a better way to render a verdict, I find myself making a list of "Pros" and "Cons" about this album and counting up each side. Pro: earnest (that counts a lot for me, particularly with emo bands) and interesting vocal harmonies, clean production, dynamic variation and a healthy blend of anthemic and moody guitar playing. Con: occasionally the earnest vocals devolve into whininess, some of the songs are just too long, and ultimately, Campground Effect and I just don’t speak the same emotional language. But I enjoy listening to this album, and I’ll probably continue listening to it even after I’ve handed in this review.

So the pros win, 4-3.