My heart keeps beating like a juke box stuck on The Who…
This album certainly has taken me by surprise, and since then I've really enjoyed it. Lately I haven't really been into lighter stuff such as folk pop band, The Grownup Noise. Albeit it isn't the best written album, it still has elements that keep you interested and encourage more listens out of it. The simplicity of the songs, such as "Just So You Know" which features a relatively simple bass lick accompanied by pop lyrics kind of brings down the album, but for the casual listener it will be fine. I have no liking for this style of music, but The Grownup Noise has shown me some upside.
One aspect of the album that I really like was the folksier songs such as "So it Goes", "Flower", and "Gone Is A Four Letter Word". The bass on all these songs is top notch and greatly compliments the bands style. "Gone Is A Four Letter Word" is probably my favorite track on the album mainly because of the first four or so minutes. The first couple of minutes is the most thought out and complex part of the album and is utter greatness. Sadly, though, after that it reverts back to a more simple song structure that is on the back side of okay, and common among newer pop albums.
Paul Hansen has a unique talent that shines through this album and makes it a very enjoyable listen. He has a voice that changes styles often, but has a consistency to it throughout the while album that adds to the overall feel of the album. As the band itself says, they play an "umbrella of styles" and Hansen's voice really exemplifies this.
The production is pretty standard, even though, supposedly, parts of the vocal tracks were made in Paul Hansen's bathroom! The whole album is mixed pretty well by Scott Solter (John Vanderslice, Spoon, Okkervil River, St. Vincent, Lost in the Trees), except for some instances where the vocals seem a little too loud compared to the rest of the instruments. But, other than that it is a nicely put together album.
Since their time at the Berklee College of Music both Paul Hansen and Adam Sankowski have put together a great band that has a nice style that anyone will like. If you're into modern and more obscure pop than this is definitely the album for you. 3.5 stars is definitely warranted here.
Track Listing
- Strawnen
- Anthem For Second Place
- Flower
- Carnival
- Six Foot Solemn Oath
- The Artist Type
- The Same The Same
- So It Goes
- Just So You Know
- Attention
- Gone Is A Four Letter Word
- Somehow We Escaped
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