Category: Blog

Best Songs: Chastity Jeans, Lake Michigan Dream, Tailspins, Delta

FCC Violations: Conversation With Pietro

This Seattle-based rock band is everything you’d find in an indie stereotype. From the flannel and the sound, this group seems to tally up the score pertaining to meeting the conventional image of indie rock. That’s not to say the band is bad. Actually, they are quite good.

The backing vocals and guitar tracks help deter me from leaving the Coach Phillips train due to the Pacific Northwest appeal and there’s definitely some stuff on Never Is Enough to hold my attention and keep me satisfied. The male/female vocals and instrumentation are well executed BUT side A is like listening to one dreary song for about 20 minutes. It kind of makes me think they are staying in one key because it seems like the vocal melodies stay in the same progression. But hey, who am I though? I don’t know the first thing about singing and even my shower voice makes my cat meow aggressively while throwing his paw through the curtain in an attempt to save me from whatever is attacking me. (This is not a joke)

Okay, let’s get on to some good stuff. Chastity Jeans is a fun one. I’m not quite sure if it’s an ode to a special girl or not, but the song sounds a lot happier than the rest of side A. It has some sliding riffs, a singalong pre-chorus, and chorus, along with a harmonica section which is tastefully done.

Lake Michigan Dream has an awesome bass track and some surprising guitar licks that sneak up on you. The lyrics “Let’s move back to Michigan/Stay by the lake and “I really want to jump back in/and try not to sink” has haunting appeal, especially with the melodies by Wade Phillips and Jessica Kim. There’s a lot to grasp in terms of cool sections in this one.

Summer In Seattle, the intro track to side B has some peculiar riffs and above the average rhythm section. It’s an instrumental lasting only 1:32 but transitions nicely into the next song Tailspins which has a beachy vibe to it while still incorporating the sound of the band. The guitar parts have a neoclassical feel to them, sliding up and down the neck. I can these two songs are my favorite section of Never Is Enough.

This is the first album that has come my way in a while that I’m happy to put in my library. Minus the contemporary Seattle stereotype, I can’t wait to give this another listen and let it sink in.

-Justin

Best Songs: Aaron, Black Friday, Worthy, Killer, Urban Drip

FCC Violations: Bullshit, Stick N Poke

There are some tasty tracks to behold on this laidback release but also some overreaching breaks in the record that seem a bit forced. Fronted by Ellen Kempner, Palehound takes a self-displeasure approach with songs that seem to highlight the singer’s personal experiences with topics like body issues, past relationships, and loss.

Hailing from Boston, this is Palehound’s third release and from my understanding, it covers some of the same topics from prior albums and encompasses a similar sound, if not the same. Interestingly, the band started off as a solo project by Kempner and was not intended to leave the confines of her home, but it quickly transitioned into the live-stage space. This group is talented and you can definitely vibe easily to the songs across the discography. After all, Palehound won the Boston Music Award’s new artist of the year in 2015 during its infancy.

I can definitely see the appeal to Black Friday’s opening track Company, but I can’t quite get on board with it. It’s…what do the kids say today…cringy? Yeah, just a little bit but the instrumentation is pretty awesome. I’m not really a fan of the narration style of it and it deterred me at first until the riffs came in, which made it listenable. The instruments help in the transition to the next song so I can’t really be that mad at it overall.

The next track Aaron was pretty awesome. It reminded me of old Brand New and definitely brought back those 2005 high school memories. The mix of strumming and picking, along with the vocal harmonies blend perfectly together. It’s really just an excellent piece of rock n’ roll and incorporates a garage-type sound.

Kempner does a fantastic job of executing choruses and you start to realize that when the self-titled track Black Friday comes in early on the album. They consistently pull the listener in with a sense of airiness and spacious sounds. There is a purpose to them and they flow with intention but without intrusion.

If not for the abrupt breaks of experimentation involving spoken word poetry, I would be totally on board. I don’t want to seem like I’m hating and I understand that I come across that way but if I get a feeling of awkwardness from an album, it’s going to leave a bad taste in my mouth. With that being said, it’s hard for me to refrain from listing off all the good songs off this record because the number is bountiful.

Definitely, give Black Friday a listen. Though the second half of the album takes a backseat to the first, it has a lot to work with for the avid rock enthusiast. The band has a romantic intrigue about them and as far as I can tell, is very consistent in its endeavors.

-Justin