Review Summary: "An exciting follow up from a group who already had a solid foundation to begin with."
Des Moines, Iowa’s Grandchamp burst into the local music scene last summer with their debut EP, "Rinse Cycle". While it contained a few very memorable tracks, it also sported one or two very average ones as well. What’s most interesting about the band’s latest outing is that while "Rinse Cycle" basked in the summer sun, "You" seems perfectly content with wandering aimlessly through the darkness of winter.
Within the first fifteen seconds of the title track, "You", we hear many elements that have returned from Grandchamp’s past affairs. Nate Kouri and Matt Albaugh’s unison guitar/alto sax lines, Andrew Jones’ bubbly and floaty bass guitar and Bridget Albaugh’s light and crisp hi-hat work; it’s a formula that Grandchamp has used in the past. However, this time around the group has tightened it to a tee and Charlie Cacciatore’s vocals have never sounded better. The timid intro (Reminiscent of Modest Mouse’s “Guilty Cocker Spaniels”) makes way for a lazy, yet upbeat groove which occupies the first two thirds of the track. Once that last third rolls around, the tempo picks up and clean guitar chords are replaced with distorted. A clean guitar solo sits atop the music, supported by “wah-wah” guitar effects. As the song crescendos to its climax, Cacciatore joins in again with a smooth ascending vocal line: “I could not be anywhere with you.” It’s lovely.
“France” is a more straight forward romp with a groove similar to Rinse Cycle’s “Matt.” A bouncy alto sax line sits on top of the band and gets the listener moving. “France” also contains the best performance from Cacciatore with both stuttered and swooning vocal lines in a fuzzy recording, similar to some works from The Strokes. Its short run time allows easy listens and tends to be the highlight of the record.
“Destinations” features an elongated intro with banter between musicians and some groovy guitar chords. The whole track is very “lo-fi” and very laid back in its approach, not counting the brief outburst of “Who the *** wants to live forever anyway?” Cacciatore’s vocal performance could be compared to one of Josh Rouse’s earlier endeavors, namely “The White Trash Period of My Life.” The drums are prominent with a crunchy snare drum and the guitars are sweet and draw you in. It’s a song of reflection, so that sort of intimacy is to be expected. The song almost gets away with what it set out to be and would’ve gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for the mind-numbing and perplexing two minutes of feedback that closes out an otherwise great EP.
"You" is an exciting follow up from a group who already had a solid foundation to begin with. It finds Grandchamp fully realizing their sound and beginning to find their true potential as a group of musicians. With a runtime slightly under fifteen minutes, Grandchamp’s "You" is at the very least a fun and accessible distraction. However, those willing to look a little deeper into what is presented will be pleasantly surprised with what they find.
