Review Summary: This humble offering is perhaps too humble for its own good.
“Sit Resist” is not bad album by any stretch of the imagination; quite the contrary, the vocals, the lyrics, the instrumentation are all intelligent, well produced, and infectiously melodic. The issue is that, despite not fitting comfortably within a specific genre, there is still no attempt at experimentation. The music feels somewhat complacent to be identified as indie-pop yet it distinctly lacks the anthemic choruses associated with the genre. It could be argued that the instrumentation is incredibly catchy, and in a certain regard, it is. The brilliantly woven guitar work is made most obvious in the tracks
“Master of Art” and
“Peachy”, which are not just upbeat but instantly pleasant for the listener as well. Again, this is not what holds the album back, but in a similar sense, it is. There are certain limitations presented by the pop approach, namely that the genre values aesthetics over substance. This formulaic approach is wonderfully contradicted by lyricism of
“Sit Resist” though.
The lyrics subtly nod towards folk, which provides more substance than the previously mentioned pop counterpart. Laura Stevenson displays an extremely clever use of thought provoking words, holding many similarities to the likes of folk; specifically the track
“Montauk Monster”, which draws strong roots in both bluegrass and folk. Ms. Stevenson also has a quaint yet unavoidable charm to her voice, and that is really the vocal point for the album. When her voice waivers as she croons
“Unabashed oh my darling you're amazing, with your hands so cold and full of callouses.” there is no resisting her plea. To deny her candid honesty is to reveal a heart as cold and calloused as the hands of her lost love. Laura Stevenson carries each song, this is the most evident merit the album possesses.
It would seem that
“Sit Resist” is everything you could want out of an album: uplifting instrumentation paired with an amazing singer who impresses lyrically as well as vocally. Indeed those two factors paired together present the notion that this is simply perfect. The instrumentals grab your attention and the vocals keep you coming back for more. Still, something is missing. Referring back to the concept of experimentation: this album fails to push the boundaries of either folk or pop, nor does it fit nicely within either of them. Tragically this translates into the music becoming somewhat monotonous after several listens. It could be compared loosely to the likes of post-rock; with many bands, such as Explosions in the Sky, falling complacently into the quiet-loud mechanism that plagues the genre. The song structure found on
“Sit Resist” follows this parallel path of predictability: each track starts off as very soft, eventually building into a furious collage of guitars and drums as Laura raises her voice to sit atop the loud clash of instruments.
Of course there is some incorporation of varied instrumentation:
“Finish Piece” utilizes a piano;
“Montauk Monster” utilizes a banjo; and
“I See Dark” utilizes an accordion. Sadly,
“Halloween Pts. 1 & 2”,
“Master of Art”,
“Caretaker”, and
“8:08” all offer melodic guitar riffs that are strikingly familiar. By the time the track
“Barnacles” begins to play, there is a nagging feeling of deja-vu; as if we have already heard the track several times over. Ultimately this album has an uncanny resemblance to that of the Fleet Foxes' self titled debut: initially impressive but wearing thin after repeated plays.
“Sit Resist” suffers from being too polished and too complacent with its sound. While Laura Stevenson has plenty to offer, and what she has to offer is fantastic, she falls victim to the album's somewhat repetitive nature. You can't blame a band for finding its sound and perfecting it, yet, you would like to see some sort of flirtation outside their comfort zone. Regardless, Laura Stevenson and the Cans have found their rhythm on
“Sit Resist” and have crafted a truly impressive offering. They have honed in on their sound, and this is a monumental step for the band as a whole. It will be exciting to observe the direction Ms. Stevenson takes the Cans in albums following
“Sit Resist”.
