Hailing from Mesa, Arizona, the same home as their much bigger emo counterparts Jimmy Eat World, Before Braille is yet another one of those emo acts just ready for modern-rock radio and MTV2 airplay. These guys are definitely emo in every sense of the word, and in fact, they sometimes even sound undistinguishable from Jimmy Eat World among other bands of their genre. However, this is not to say they suck necessarily. They just don't come with anything in the least bit new or original, with a few minor exceptions. "The Spanish Dagger," and "Goodnight Quiet Noise," which both sounded like Jimmy Eat World's more-rocking material off Bleed American. Jimmy isn't the only band that Before Braille does their borrowing from, "A Cinema Spine" was just like a happy Get Up Kids song, and "24 Minus 18" and "Jaws of Life" reminded me a lot of Piebald or the Promise Ring. However, I did enjoy these songs as well. I found these guys really came into their own when doing their slower songs, such as the opener, "Prelude: Secret No.7" and the dreamy, "Miracle Mile," and they also shine on their acoustic-driven stuff, "Split Lip Envy," and the piano-tinged, "When the Feeling Fades." The album also ends with two nice, mellow closers, the beautifully-harmonized, "After Arguments," and the somber, seven-minute closer, "Unfit." Although Before Braille might not add anything new to the emo genre, they at least offer more of the same for those who love Jimmy Eat World, The Get Up Kids, Promise Ring, etc. I suppose there's something to be said for that.