Hands Like Houses are no strangers to the Top 200 list. Hell, their first album, Ground Dweller, took the 141 spot right out of the gate and number two on Billboard Heat Seekers. Since then they never let up on packing in the hits. Three singles have been released from the new album, Dissonants. A lot of bands are guilty of the bottomless iceberg trick, putting all their work into the singles they release just to get people to buy the album, assuming the full album will match up to the singles, only to find out that the band only had enough juice for a few good songs. With Dissonants this is not the case. After listening to the full album, I discovered that best hasn’t even been released yet. “I Am”, “Colour Blind”, and “New Romantics” are only the tip of the iceberg.

“Perceptives” starts the pattern of one song being better than the last, with a personal feel to the lyrics and a strong guitar riff. “Division Symbols” is powerful, uplifting statement to those who “take us down.” Arm yourselves with this song, and you can make it to the ends of the earth with heart and soul unscathed and kicking for more. By the time you get to “Bloodlines”, you’ll be ready for more. Like finishing a good book or movie, you’ll be sad when it’s over, but you’ll have no issue starting it from the top again. As a mater of fact, it’s good that this album is available on digital or else you might wear the CD down from repeat use. Dissonants follows the tradition of powerful lyrics and emotional instrumentals without becoming “a typical Hands Like Houses album.” This is as good an album as anything they’ve come up with while standing on its own to feet. I think Hands Like Houses is due back on the Billboard Top 200 or top five with this release.

Five skulls. You can buy Dissonants on iTunes and everywhere music is sold.