"Emo Diaries 7: Me Against The World warrants itself to be one of the best comps Deep Elm has put together. Offering up some must-listens, This Beautiful Mess's funky / jazzy bend on emo and standout Drive Til Morning's solo acoustic alt-country trip make this chapter a much more than worthwhile listen. In particular though, One Starving Day's completely amazing, ten minute beautifully destructive dirge might actually be the best here. This is intensity; this is emo; and quite frankly, this is the most devastating thing Deep Elm has put on an Emo Diaries comp yet. The rest of the material presented here is cream of the crop as well. There's not a bad track to be heard, and it's the more diverse take on sounds here that makes Chapter 7 easily one of the best." - Delusions Of Adequacy
"Nestled within The Emo Diaries Chapter 7: Me Against The World are some powerful songs, revealing that Deep Elm is still committed to releasing inspiring material from worldly talent. Tabula Rasa starts off brimming with strife, pitting distorted riffs against brittle vocals with great success. Waterpistol alternates between poised guitar drama and a full frontal assault, pummeling your ears with its angular rock. On the other side of the spectrum, Drive Til Morning hands the helm to acoustic guitar and heart stricken vocals. Deep Elm has carefully selected these bands to push the envelope in new directions. With bitter math rock and folksy songsmiths littering the compilation, this latest installment of the Emo Diaries does exactly what any good compilation should: introduces the listener to a variety of fresh and unheralded talent. Here's to another successful venture exposing bands you'll surely hear more about soon!" - Splendid
"Deep Elm has pulled it off once again with their seventh installment of the Emo Diaries: Me Against The World. I respect the label because they give many small, upcoming bands a chance. They don't just go for big names. I hadn't heard of many of the bands here, but I am very happy that I was introduced to them. One track that immediately stood out was Lowlight by Time Spent Driving. The verse is very mellow and relaxing at first, but then it leads up to the chorus of blasting guitars and vocals. Other standouts include This Beautiful Mess and Tabula Rasa. I completely recommend the Emo Diaries for anyone who wants a mix of great upcoming bands in the independent rock community." - Indie Tabs
www.deepelm.com/407
released 05 March 2002