Review Summary: Based on this album, I think these guys have some potential. A solid sound with a good musicianship, but lacking it's own unique sound. If you're looking for good, commercially-untainted indie music, check these guys out.
recently started working at UC Berkeley’s radio station, KALX. The station gets hundreds of CDs every month from big bands, small bands, bands that have a cult following, bands with no following, indie bands, metal bands, rock bands, jazz groups, folk groups, children’s choirs, anything you could imagine. It all goes into a big bin and waits to get checked out by one of the staff reviewers. If no one reviews the album, it gets purged. It’s a little depressing as a musician to see the hundreds of CDs thrown out by the station, simply because there isn’t time to listen to them all.
As this CD comes from a small local band from Austin, Texas who has never toured with a big band, has no major label, and is only the group’s second full-length release, the album probably would have been thrown out. I was feeling a little dangerous and decided to pick this CD to review, mostly because the cover looked interesting and the promoter label compared it to the
New Pornographers. Though this album wasn’t the most amazing thing I’ve ever heard, I see a lot of potential in the sound. It’s got all the right tools, but it’s just short being a really good indie band.
I would compare the sound of the album as a cross between The Shins newer stuff with older Arcade Fire stuff: bright songs with generally upbeat percussion and lots of experimenting with many different instruments. I think my favorite part about the album is that there isn’t a single instrument that drives every song. Each song incorporates multiple instruments, but tends to revolve around one instrument. Instead of being driven by guitar in each song though, one will be bass-heavy, another will be organ-driven, another be carried by a soft xylophone melody. Some songs even play around with electronic effects, even combining an electric drumbeat with fills from an acoustic drum in “To the Peasant’s of the Emperor.” The mixture of instruments creates a nice variety throughout the album, making each song different from the rest.
The songs are good, but there isn’t really a standout single that will turn heads. “All the People Under the Sun” comes close; it’s upbeat, has a pretty catchy melody, and isn’t repetitive at all. It might even catch some peoples’ attention and turn them on to the band, but it certainly isn’t anything life changing.
The problem is that the band doesn’t really have a defining sound yet. I like how they mix things up musically, but they don’t really do anything that goes beyond what anyone else has done. I think what’s missing is a good singer. The vocals seem pretty shaky in parts, and are pretty muffled and drowned out through most of the album. Whether this is intentional to emphasize the music, I don’t know; but I feel like the band could do a lot more with a stronger vocalist who can make the band stand out a little more.
Like I said though, I still feel that this band has a lot of potential. For a no-name band that I just happened to pick out of our new music bin, I was surprised it was actually kind of decent. Overall, the sound is pretty good, but is just shy of being really good. Radiohead didn't impress too many people with
Pablo Honey, and look where they are now (not to suggest these guys are the next Radiohead). If this band continues to develop off of this album, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them touring with a bigger indie band in the future. I’m interested to see where these guys go.
