Somewhere at the Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair
| Somewhere at the Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair | ||||
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| Studio album by La Dispute | ||||
| Released | November 11, 2008 | |||
| Recorded | StudiOtte in Grand Rapids | |||
| Genre | Post-hardcore, screamo, experimental rock, progressive rock, spoken word | |||
| Length | 51:38 | |||
| Label | No Sleep Records | |||
| Producer | La Dispute | |||
| La Dispute chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Somewhere at the Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Absolute Punk | (91%) |
| Can You See the Sunset? | (favorable) |
| MusicEmissions |   |
| Punknews.org | |
| Pruegrainaudio | (8.4/10) |
| Strangeglue |   |
| Ultimate Guitar | (9.7/10) |
Somewhere at the Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair is the debut album released by La Dispute. Supported by three release shows, it was released on November 11, 2008, simultaneously along with Here, Hear II. through No Sleep Records on both CD and vinyl. The album's title is derived from an Asian folktale, which the album's lyrics loosely follow. The release received positive reviews from notable critics and maintains a legacy in the post-hardcore scene.
La Dispute had spent the year prior to the release of the album writing and recording. They recorded the album in Grand Rapids at StudiOtte with Joel and Troy Otte and had finished the recording by July 2008. The album was released November 11, 2008, through No Sleep records, a record label to which La Dispute had only signed a few months prior.
To promote the release of the album, the band did three release shows in their home state of Michigan: November 8 at Skelletones, November 14 at the UAW Retirees Hall in Traverse City, and November 22 at the Howell Opera House in Howell. The vinyl press was limited to 1000 copies: 500 each in Brown/Black and Clear/Black. The album has received a total of 10 pressings.
The album evades categorization, containing elements of post-hardcore, screamo, metalcore, post-rock,progressive rock and emo. The album's style is characterised by different features, including dub-influenced bass drums and versatile vocals from Jordan Dreyer, who changes frequently, ranging from shouted hardcore punk styled vocals and screams, to spoken word portions and intentional use of off-key singing. Lyrically, the album features many themes of emotional anguish and is considered ultra-emotional; its emotions range though pain, rage, and anger and deals with loss considerably. The album recounts the Asian folk tale of The Weaver Girl and the Cowherd, a story of how a prince and a princess are separated after marriage by a river which they are not allowed to cross. Prior to the release of this album, the story was told on the fourth track from La Dispute's second EP, Here, Hear. However, when vocalist Jordan Dreyer has been asked in interviews about the lyrical concept of the album, he has stated that although it does contain thematic constants it does not actually tell a story and is more autobiographical and the folk tale was used as more of a "jumping-off point" for similar personal struggles. The real-life connotations of the records lyrics are that of two divorces of people related to Dryer
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